Overview
- On Dec. 13, a 20-year-old New Jersey hiker sent an SOS from Panther Mountain after suffering an ankle injury.
- Phoenicia firefighters began a carry-out when Fire Commissioner Michael Ryan, 61, experienced cardiac arrest during the operation.
- DEC forest rangers, Shandaken police and paramedics administered CPR, used an AED and transported Ryan to Margaretville Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
- A DEC ranger stabilized the injured hiker, belayed the patient down a steep section and transferred the individual to an ambulance.
- DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton and the Phoenicia Fire District issued tributes, while an obituary highlighted Ryan’s 45 years in fire service and long military and law-enforcement career.