New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
The Massachusetts State Police Air Wing on Saturday located lost hikers in two separate rescue missions in Central Massachusetts.
At approximately 8 p.m. Sturbridge Police, State Police patrols and K-9 units, and K-9 units from the regional Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council began searching for three missing people — an adult and two teenagers — believed to have been on a trail off Stallion Hill Road. The three were lost somewhere in the trail network south of Old Sturbridge Village.
A State Police Air Wing helicopter and flight crew assisted in the search. At approximately 10:20 p.m. the MSP flight crew located the missing hikers and directed ground units to their location. The three hikers were transported to an area hospital to be evaluated.
Earlier on Saturday, at approximately 5 p.m. State Police Communications received a 911 call from a hiker who said he was lost with his two children on the Mid-State Trail in Princeton. State Police patrols and K-9 units, as well as a State Police Air Wing helicopter and air crew, responded to search.
At approximately 6:30 p.m. the MSP flight crew located the missing family and directed state troopers on the ground to their location. Troopers escorted the man and his children out of the woods; all three were in good condition and did not require medical aid.
The State Police Air Wing flies several helicopters out of air bases at Westover, in Lawrence, and in Plymouth. It is a vital tool for search and rescue and other law enforcement missions conducted by State Police and local police.
