Forest Ranger Details Dramatic Cave Rescue of Man Stuck in Crevice
Rescuers used a rock drill and ropes to free him after the group developed hypothermia during the effort, officials said.
- On May 17, a Brooklyn man became trapped in a crevice at Merlin's Cave in Canaan, New York, about 400 feet deep while belly-crawling through a precarious section known as the bear trap, remaining pinned for six hours.
- All spelunkers in the party were experienced cavers authorized to explore Merlin's Cave, which sits on a 35-acre preserve next to Dragon Bones and closes seasonally to protect hibernating bats; New York caves maintain around 50 degrees year-round with extreme humidity.
- Around 6 p.m., the man's three friends attempted initial rescue by chipping away rock with a hammer, but all four developed hypothermia after hours of exposure; rescuer John Gullen described the entrapment: "His full body was stuck in a crevice that was basically designed the exact shape of him."
- The Albany-Schoharie Cave Rescue Team deployed a heavy-duty, battery-powered rock drill to carefully remove stone inches from the man's head and back, allowing him to wiggle free; about a dozen firefighters, two medical doctors, eight rescuers and six spelunkers responded using two off-road vehicles.
- Cave entrapments remain exceptionally rare, occurring once every 50,000 trips for trained cavers, typically from spontaneous hazards like rock falls, according to geology professor Hazel Barton of the University of Alabama; the trapped man maintained a positive attitude throughout, exchanging jokes with rescuers.
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New York Forest Rangers Rescue Hiker Trapped in Cave Crevice for 6 Hours » ¡Que Onda Magazine!
A dramatic cave rescue in upstate New York ended safely after forest rangers freed a hiker who had been trapped in a narrow rock crevice for nearly six hours. According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the unidentified man from Brooklyn became stuck while exploring Merlin’s Cave in the town of Canaan […] La entrada New York Forest Rangers Rescue Hiker Trapped in Cave Crevice for 6 Hours se publicó primero en ¡Que O…
Forest ranger details dramatic cave rescue of man stuck in crevice - Regional Media News
(NEW YORK) - Forest rangers in New York rescued a man last week who had been stuck in a crevice in a cave for six hours, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The unidentified Brooklyn man was hiking with friends at Merlin's Cave in the town of Canaan on May 17 when he became stuck in the crevice, the department wrote in the caption of a Facebook post Friday. Forest Ranger Lt. John Gullen, who helped safely pu…
New York Man Rescued from Merlin’s Cave After 6-Hour Ordeal
CANAAN, N.Y. (May 24, 2026) — A Brooklyn man trapped nearly 400 feet inside Merlin’s Cave in the Town of Canaan, Columbia County, was rescued early May 18 after a six-hour ordeal that required forest rangers to use a hammer drill to chip away rock inches from his head before he could be freed. Forest … Continue reading New York Man Rescued from Merlin’s Cave After 6-Hour Ordeal
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