Hawks Nest High Angle Rope Rescue

A high-angle rescue took place on the Hawks Nest Thursday morning, with a woman successfully assisted from the cliffs by High Angle Rescue/Rope Team members from Sparrowbush Engine Company and Port Jervis Fire Department. This October 24 response is the most recent of several high-angle responses to the Hawks Nest area in recent months, and others in recent past years.
Sparrowbush Chief Jeremy Swingle said two members of the rescue team were lowered over the wall to assist the female victim. She was reported to be about 35 feet below the stone wall and was unaware of how she got there or how long she had been there.
Physically uninjured, the woman was able to have a safety harness applied and ascend with assistance from rope team members above and below her on the ladder. She was then transported by a medical crew to Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis for evaluation.
Town of Deerpark Police Chief Richard Sztyndor confirmed that this was the same woman who had been reported as a missing person from the Town of Wallkill and had been the subject of a search in the Port Jervis/Sparrowbush area this week. The woman’s phone had traced to pings in the area on Wednesday.
A person who had stopped to take pictures on the scenic Hawks Nest are Thursday morning called for help when he heard calls for help from below the wall. A response was dispatched just before 8:30 a.m. The woman was safely enroute to the hospital before 9:30 a.m.
Units on scene include Sparrowbush and Port Jervis fire departments, State Police and Town of Deerpark Police.