New York State DEC Rescues Hiker Who Was Throwing Himself Down Mountain

With so much land and wilderness to cover, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is especially busy this time of year maintaining the vast area. Often, DEC officers find themselves aiding and assisting with lost or injured hikers, or enforcing regulations at the various parks and campsites.

Recently, a very dramatic incident unfolded, as the New York State DEC said they encountered a distressed hiker who threatened himself with bodily harm.

The New York DEC website says that in 2023, DEC Forest Rangers conducted 370 search and rescue missions, extinguished 146 wildfires covering nearly 1,400 acres, participated in 52 prescribed fires that served to rejuvenate more than 1,000 acres of land, and worked on cases that resulted in hundreds of tickets and arrests.

New York State DEC Rescues Hiker Who Was Throwing Himself Down Mountain

The New York State DEC said that  Forest Rangers responded to a report of a hiker in mental distress at Adirondack Mountain Reserve on the HG Leach trail Friday afternoon.

See Also: New York State Officials Seize Huge Alligator From Residence

Officials found a 27-year-old man from New Jersey they say was sitting approximately one hundred feet off the trail. The NY DEC says they arrived to the scene with Keene Valley EMS and the subject’s girlfriend.

The DEC says that the subject became irate and started throwing himself further downhill. Through further investigation, the DEC said they determined the patient was under the influence of an unprescribed drug, which required medical intervention.

The rescue team secured the subject and carried him out to a waiting ambulance.

See Also: New York State Police Help Rescue Stranded Kayaker