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  4. Border Patrol Agents in New York Rescue Man Lost in Cornfield

Border Patrol Agents in New York Rescue Man Lost in Cornfield

Release Date
Fri, 08/02/2019

CHAMPLAIN, N.Y. – U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Champlain Border Patrol Station along with CBP Air and Marine Operations (AMO), the New York State Police (NYSP), Champlain Fire and EMS and numerous local citizens all joined in the search for an elderly man reported missing Thursday. 

Around 1:45 p.m., Border Patrol agents were contacted by the NYSP to help search for a local citizen whose family members reported as missing.  The 84 year old man was last seen at approximately 10:00 a.m. near his home in Champlain.  His abandoned ATV had been located north of his home in a large cornfield. 

The sunny, 78 degree weather added a sense of urgency to the search.  Border Patrol agents requested the assistance of a helicopter from the Plattsburgh Air Branch of CBP AMO.  The AMO helicopter responded within half an hour and started searching the cornfield while Border Patrol agents coordinated the search on the ground.  At approximately 3:08 p.m., a Border Patrol agent searching the cornfield located the missing man lying on the ground in between two rows of corn.  The man was semi-conscious and nonverbal, appearing to be suffering from the effects of the heat. Agents gave the man water and used an ATV to transport him out of the cornfield and to his house.  An ambulance transported him from his residence to a local hospital for examination.

“This was truly a team effort by all the agencies and citizens involved,” said Champlain Station Acting Deputy Patrol Agent in Charge Raymond Bresnahan. “I am glad that we were able to act fast and find the man quickly.  This is an excellent example of how first-responders, law enforcement agencies and the community work together to respond to emergency situations.”

The Swanton Sector is responsible for securing the land border between ports of entry in Vermont, New Hampshire and northeastern New York. The coordination with assistance of citizens is invaluable to the Border Patrol's border security mission and we welcome community members' help to keep our nation’s borders safe. Please report suspicious activity at 1-800-689-3362.

For more on Customs and Border Protection’s mission at our nation’s ports of entry with CBP officers and along U.S. borders with Border Patrol agents, please visit the Border Security section of the CBP website.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021