Search and rescue crews spent more than six hours looking for a 19-year-old Falconer man who got lost in the Chautauqua Gorge early Sunday morning.
Sheriff’s deputies say Nathan Nowicki had been with a group of friends at around 2:15 a.m. when he walked away from the group into a wooded area. The group tried to find him, but couldn’t, and then left the area. They tried to contact him by phone but couldn’t reach him, and then called authorities.
Erie County’s Air One helicopter couldn’t find him because of the heavy foliage, but GPS coordinates from his cell phone showed the area he was in, so they brought in K-9 Drago to lead the ground search, and soon found Nowicki’s backpack and cell phone. Drago then led them to the gorge, where they found Nowicki’s footprints.
Nowicki was taken to a hospital for treatment of hypothermia and minor injuries.