A 14-year-old girl drowned in the Esopus Creek on Saturday, Sept. 5, according to the Ulster County Sheriff's Office.
A report that an adult man and the teenage girl were in distress in the fast-moving river drew scores of first responders to a fishing access point near the Allaben Cemetery in the town of Shandaken throughout the day on Saturday, according to witnesses, news reports and a press release from the Ulster County Sheriff's Office. The call came in at 11:15 a.m., the press release states.
The man was rescued from the creek, police say, but first responders from the Ulster County Sheriff's Office In-Water Rescue Team, the Ulster Hose Dive Team, the New York State Police Dive Team and the Phoenicia-West Hurley-Olive Fire Swift Water Rescue Team struggled for hours to find the girl, the press release says.
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection closed the portal which allows water to flow from the Schoharie Reservoir into the Esopus Creek, and after several hours, the water level and current were reduced, police say. Then rescuers were able to recover the girl's body, the press release states.
No names have been released at this time.
The Ulster County Sheriff's Office was assisted by the Shandaken Police, the Shandaken Ambulance, the New York State Police, the NYC DEP Police, the Ulster Hose Fire Department, the West Hurley Fire Department, the Shandaken Fire Department, the Phoenicia Fire Department, the Olive First Aid and the Ulster County Fire Coordinator, the press release states.
