A police helicopter was called out in the middle of the night to help search for a 'distressed' man in a field.
A witness told ChronicleLive that several police cars were also called to the incident in Whitley Bay.
A concerned female is understood to have made a 999 call to Northumbria Police after spotting the man in apparent distress.
A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “Shortly before 1.30am today (Wednesday) we received a report of concern for a male in a field off Hartley Lane, Whitley Bay.
“Officers carried out a search of the area, with assistance from the National Police Air Support, but the individual was believed to have had already left the area.”
The incident occurred on the long road, which is a few hundred metres from Whitley Bay Golf Club.
