Local authorities rescued a West Harlem woman who was literally stuck in the mud at the Marshlands Conservancy after dark — a distressing ordeal that could have possibly cost the hiker her life.
According to the Rye Fire Department, first responders were dispatched to the Marshlands last Monday after the Westchester County police received a 911 call from the 24-year-old hiker. Officials were able to geo locate the hiker’s phone to determine her whereabouts.
One of the cops called the hiker and remained on the phone while rescue teams searched the marshlands near the water’s edge, according to Kieran O’Leary, public information officer for the county police. Police also utilized flashlights so the victim could spot them, O’Leary said.
“We have a certain familiarity with this in a number of county parks,” O’Leary told The Record. “It looks like solid ground, but it’s not often when the tide is out, and they sink in the mud. Occasionally, we’ve pulled people out by helicopter.”
At the scene, responders removed her from the marsh — where she had sunken waist deep — and then transported her by boat to the American Yacht Club dock for evaluation just after 10 p.m.
Clyde Pitts, captain of the Rye Fire Department, said that while rescuers didn’t need special gear to dig the hiker out, they did have to use their Utility 159 vehicle — a Bobcat the department added a skid to.
“It gives us a 75-gallon capacity water tank with pump and a place for our stokes basket, which is used for transporting an injured party,” Pitts said.
Photo courtesy Clyde Pitts
Michael Gambino, curator of the Marshlands Conservancy, said hikers should exercise serious caution while venturing through the nature preserve.
“No one should enter the marsh for any reason. It can be dangerous,” Gambino told The Record. “The person who was rescued obviously went off trail and into the deep thick muck of the marsh.”
The Marshlands — located south of Rye Golf Club off Boston Post Road and above Milton Harbor — is a 147-acre native wildlife conservancy that includes 1.5 miles of shoreline.
Gambino said that once stuck in the marsh, it’s “very difficult if not impossible” for a person to get out.
“Luckily they had a charged cell phone and the rescuers know how to get someone out of this situation,” he added.
-additional reporting by Christian Falcone