Durham, N.C. — Durham County authorities were searching Wednesday for a missing 28-year-old man who is believed to be cognitively impaired. 

The N.C. Center for Missing Persons issued a Silver Alert for Gene Thomas Roncali about 1:30 a.m. after he went missing from a home in the 3800 block of Cheek Road. 

Roncali is white and has short, blond hair and blue eyes. He stands 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs about 160 pounds. 

When he went missing, Roncali was wearing a black track suit with a Honda symbol over the left chest pocket and white tennis shoes. It wasn't clear where Roncali could be headed, authorities said. 

Anyone with information on his whereabouts should call the Durham County Sheriff's Office at 915-560-0885.

Developed in 2007, Silver Alert is a system to quickly notify the public about missing endangered adults who suffer from dementia or other cognitive impairments, such as Alzheimer's disease.

It also allows caregivers and nursing homes to report a person missing. In the past, only a family member could report an adult missing.