Town of Alma
Allegany County
Wilderness Search: On Oct. 8 at 12:15 a.m., the Alma Fire Department contacted Forest Ranger Justin Thaine reporting that the family of an 85-year-old man, who lives alone, was unable to contact or locate the subject at his home. Initially, State Police (NYSP) and the local fire department started searching for the subject with negative results. Forest Ranger Thaine responded to the scene and conducted a search of the property and surrounding properties. Additional resources arrived on scene, including five Rangers (one with a drone), NYSP K9s and aviation, and the local fire department and county search team volunteers. At about 10:30 a.m., search teams located the man over a mile from his home, suffering from dehydration and hypothermia. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital where he passed away later that afternoon. All Rangers were cleared from the area by 3 p.m.
