LAPEER, NY (607NewsNow) – One person is recovering after a wilderness rescue in Cortland County.

On August 19, multiple agencies responded to a report of a man who fell while hiking with his wife around 11:30 a.m. in Lapeer. It happened in Kennedy State Forest near Cook Hill Road, and authorities say the man fell as a result of a medical emergency.

Emergency crews rescue a hiker from Kennedy State Forest on August 19, 2025. Credit: Marathon Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps (MAVAC)

Using GPS coordinates from the 911 call, dispatchers directed ATVs and a wildland rescue trailer to the man’s location. He was retrieved approximately one mile away from the nearest road and transported to a hospital in Syracuse.

The Marathon Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps (MAVAC), Marathon Fire Department, Virgil Fire Department, and State Police all assisted at the scene.