NJ hiker found dead near summit of Mt. Marcy

A 21-year-old hiker from New Jersey was found dead on Thursday, Feb. 12, after calling 911 to report they had fallen near the summit of Mt. Marcy, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

DEC declined to identify the victim by name or gender. Syracuse.com has reached out to New York State Police for more information, and this story will be updated.

At 3:05 p.m. the hiker, who was accompanied by a dog, reported that they slipped and were unable to get back on the trail. Forest rangers immediately began searching for the hiker via snowmobile and tracked utility vehicle.

Meanwhile, a NYSP Aviation helicopter took to the air for a possible hoist rescue. Due to the heavy cloud cover, however, the two rangers aboard the helicopter could not spot the missing hiker.

At 6:06 p.m., one of the rangers in the helicopter was inserted into the Marcy Dam Outpost to search on the ground.

At 9:51 p.m., nearly seven hours after the hiker’s initial 911 call, the ranger located the hiker’s body. Weather conditions prevented removal of the body from the mountain at that time.

Rangers also found the hiker’s dog alive and walked it out to safety. On the early morning of Feb. 13, NYSP Aviation inserted two rangers to the site and recovered the hiker’s body.

At 5,344 feet, Mount Marcy is New York’s highest peak. Winter hiking can be especially dangerous due to subzero temperatures, deep snow drifts and blowing snow, icy trails and strong winds.