Brooklyn Man Rescued from Cave After Six-Hour Ordeal

A man from Brooklyn found himself in quite a predicament while exploring a cave in upstate New York. He got wedged in a crevice, leading to a rescue effort that lasted six long hours, all in the dark and cold. Thankfully, state park rangers stepped in to help.

On the evening of May 17th, around 6:30 PM, rangers were notified about the situation inside Merlin’s Cave in Canaan. The Environmental Conservation Bureau shared updates via Facebook last Friday.

By the time rescuers arrived at around 9 PM, conditions had worsened significantly—temperatures had plummeted to 50 degrees, coupled with 100% humidity, as noted by December Forest Ranger Lieutenant John Gallen.

“His friends were with him and doing their best to help,” Gallen reported. Yet, after several hours in the cave, they were all showing signs of hypothermia.

It took the rangers approximately 20 minutes to navigate through a narrow 400-foot stretch of the cave to reach the trapped Brooklyn resident, whose identity remains unknown.

Gallen described the man’s situation, saying, “He was really stuck in there, more than I expected. It was as if he was perfectly molded to the gap.”

The rescuer’s approach included one ranger staying with the man to keep him calm while others went for a jackhammer. Even in those unsettling moments, they exchanged jokes to ease the tension—after all, they were quite a distance from his home, about 140 miles away.

Once the drill was ready, it took less than half an hour to free him, and remarkably, he sustained no injuries. Gallen shared a light-hearted moment, recalling, “Once I got to the point where I could high-five, I kept high-fiving. I hope everyone can experience this feeling; there’s truly nothing like it.”