Search for missing man moves into creek

TROY, N.Y. >> Members of the Troy Fire Department cautiously tred into the waters of the Poestenkill on Wednesday morning to search for a man who fell from the surrounding gorge and into the water below on Saturday.

“We had members of our rescue squad in the water in cold water suits with underwater cameras looking for the individual underneath the falls,” said Fire Chief Tom Garrett. “We haven’t ever been able to touch bottom there, so we don’t know how deep it is.”

Officials said they received reports late Saturday afternoon that the unidentified man fall from the gorge and believe those statements

are credible. Police said the man was in the area of The Cookie Factory and may have struck his head prior to going into the water.

Officials have not been able to send members of the New York State Police Dive Team into the creek since the water has been too turbulent because of recent rain and snow melt.

“The water is still too turbulent to put divers in there,” Garrett said Wednesday. “It would be too dangerous for them to go in, so we are going to wait until the water slows down to put the divers in.”

Garrett said he is still unsure when divers will be able to get into the water.

“We are going to get some more rain today, so at this point, it’s just a waiting game, since we want to make it safe for New York State Police divers,” explained Garrett.

Garrett did confirm a missing person’s report has been filed that may be related, but officials are not releasing any information on the subject of that report.

“We do have a missing person’s report at this point of someone who is missing, so we are looking for that individual,” said Garrett.

This is not the first time someone has fallen from the cliffs, which do have “No Trespassing” signs posted around them. Most recently, 16-year-old Connor Reynolds died in June 2016 after he fell from a cliff and hit his head as he fell into the water. His body was found by divers trapped beneath an underwater rock shelf.

“This is our third death in four years here, so it is very dangerous,” said Garrett. “We ask people not to come here, but it’s a natural attraction.”

Garrett said he believes there is enough signage around the gorge and that there is not much more that can be done to keep people out.

“We can’t keep someone here 24 hours a day to watch that,” he said.

Garrett said members of the fire department were to go back into the water later Wednesday, after the underwater camera they were using had recharged.