Incident report from the Town of Belfast, NY
From staff reports,
DEC Rangers responded Belfast NY after the report of a missing 14 year old boy and joined the NYS Police in the search and rescue effort. The 911 call was placed at about 8:30pm or an hour after the child went missing. Allegany County 911 requested Forest Ranger Assistance in the search at about 12:15am.
The Rangers joined the New York State Police (NYSP) Troopers, NYSP Canine Unit, NYSP Drone Unit, NYSP SORT team (special operations response tea,) and the Allegany County Sherriff’s Office Drone Unit. In the dark, crews followed footprints in the snow for miles. The subject was mostly following roadways, but periodically went in and out of brush.
At 11:15 a.m., rescue crews found the subject approximately eight miles from home. The teen was wearing jeans, a winter coat, and a hat, but was not wearing boots. Allegany County Medical Transport Service drove the subject to the hospital for treatment of hypothermia and frostbite.
Resources were clear at 12:48 p.m. DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement, the Allegany County Fire Coordinator, Belfast Fire, and Belfast Ambulance also assisted in the search.
If a person needs a Forest Ranger, whether it’s for a search and rescue, to report a wildfire, or to report illegal activity on state lands and easements, they should call 833-NYS-RANGERS. If a person needs urgent assistance, they can call 911. To contact a Forest Ranger for information about a specific location, the DEC website has phone numbers for every Ranger listed by region: http://on.ny.gov/NYSForestRangerRoster
