Elderly Mattapoisett Hunter Gets Lost in the Woods in Freezing Weather

There were some tense moments Dec. 7 in Mattapoisett as an 81-year-old hunter got lost in the woods. Temperatures were below freezing and the sun was setting when Mattapoisett Police received a call from the man who told them he had become disoriented and couldn't find his way out.

The hunter told police that he had parked his car off I-195 and entered the Haskell Swamp area before becoming lost and unable to find his way back. Because of the dropping temperatures and quickly diminishing light, time was of the essence.

Lt. Justin King and Officer Osetkowski jumped into action, entering the nearby woods next to the parked vehicle. An approximate location of the lost man was established by tracking the hunter's cell phone data.

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Officer Perez launched a drone to fly over the area, and the State Police airwing flew over the area and almost immediately located the lost man from the air. Once they located him from above, State Police were able to guide Mattapoisett Police to his exact location.

They reached him at 5 p.m. and determined that he would not be able to walk out of the woods on his own.

Marion Fire/EMS responded to the scene with their Utility Terrain Vehicle and used it to transport the gentleman back out to the highway where EMS was waiting.

The man was examined and released shortly after 6:30 p.m.