Victor Martinez: NY man who went missing during solo hike at Mohonk Preserve found dead after 3-day search
ULSTER COUNTY, NEW YORK: A New York hiker who went missing in a nature preserve has been found dead by state forest rangers and state police following a three-day search. Officials believe that the hiker died in a fall in the area’s steep, mountainous terrain.
Brooklyn hiker Victor A Martinez went for a solo hike at the Mohonk Preserve in the Shawangunk Ridge in Ulster County on Saturday, March 11. But, he was reported missing after failing to report to work two days later, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). His daughter was the only one who heard of him for the last time before he set off in the Bonticou Crag area.
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Martinez fell off the cliff, said police
New York State Police located Martinez’s car in the preserve’s Spring Farm parking lot at around 11.30 pm on Tuesday, March 14, according to a report by Fox News.
The three-day search for the hiker included state police, 10 DEC forest rangers, Mohonk Preserve patrol rangers, Sam's Point search and rescue, and Marbletown Rescue. Recently, a snowstorm broke out in the area, adding to the already difficult conditions that the search-and-rescue teams faced along the area's steep and rocky terrain.
Martinez’s injuries were consistent with the fall
A search and rescue team found the missing 45-year-old's backpack and cellphone at the base of a 50-feet cliff at around 10.15 am on Friday, March 17. About six hours later, the teams found the body of the hiker about 400 feet away from the presumed fall site, according to officials. As of now, no details have been released about Martinez’s death, according to a report by Times Union.
Authorities presumed that he fell off the cliff which is how his body wound up hundreds of feet from the site. Victor's body was turned over to the Ulster County medical examiner's office. Martinez’s injuries were consistent with the fall, according to the state police but the precise cause of his death remains under investigation.
DEC forest rangers work with other state agencies, emergency response organizations, and volunteer groups to locate and rescue injured or lost hikers across New York. In 2022, rangers conducted 359 search-and-rescue missions in the state.