US man rescued after being stuck in cave crevice for six hours

Travel
26 May 2026 • 9:41 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

US man rescued after being stuck in cave crevice for six hours

  • A man was rescued by forest rangers in New York after being trapped for six hours in a cave crevice.
  • The unidentified man from Brooklyn was hiking with friends at Merlins Cave in Canaan on 17 May when he became "really jammed in there".
  • Rescue crews, including Forest Ranger Lieutenant John Gullen, responded to the incident, finding the man's friends hypothermic due to the cave's 50-degree temperature and 100 per cent humidity.
  • Rescuers attempted various methods, eventually using a hammer drill to clear rock inches from the man's head and back.
  • After 20 minutes of drilling, the uninjured man was able to wriggle free, with rescuers noting his positive attitude throughout the ordeal.

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