Lost LI hikers rescued at upstate park

Two hikers from Long Island were rescued by upstate sheriffs over the weekend after being lost in Chittenango Falls State Park, authorities said Tuesday.

Brian Abramowitz, of Commack, and Jenna Goldberg, of Jericho, both 22, became lost in the park about 20 miles southeast of Syracuse, near Cazenovia, while hiking on a mild winter day, Madison County Undersheriff John Ball said Tuesday.

Neither hiker was injured, he said. Efforts to reach them Tuesday were unsuccessful.

The two were lost for about three hours and called police using a cellphone shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday, Ball said.

Sheriff deputies and New York State Park Police responded, along with rescue personnel from the fire departments of Chittenango, North Chittenango, Cazenovia and Lincoln communities.

Deputies drove vehicles with emergency lights to an area and the hikers eventually made their way to the bright flashes, according to a news release.

Ball said the two were on the other side of Chittenango Creek, just north of the main park entrance, where a sharp, steep hill runs along the waterway. The creek is about 30 to 35 feet wide, and at the time had hard-rushing current, he said.

Authorities lowered a ladder from an aerial platform truck, allowing rescue personnel to get to the hikers.

"A rope rescue team went across the ladder, and the hikers were assisted back over the creek," Ball said. "They spent a little time in an ambulance to warm up, but they were fine."

The hikers declined medical assistance, according to a release by the Madison County Sheriff's Office.

Ball said the weather in the park was starting to turn with the setting sun, as brisk winds and light flurries moved in from Lake Ontario.

"It's not a large park but it can be incredibly challenging geographically, with rock formations, a water fall and woods," he said.

There are hiking paths in the park, but in winter it is easy to get off the paths, Ball said. "That's what happened with them."