By the time first responders found him, all they could ask was... what happened?

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation is constantly responding to people in need across the state, whenever they get the call. From dumb hunters to campers shooting at bears, they've seen and handled at all.

Sometimes, there are calls that are harder to take.

Credit - Helgy
Credit - Helgy
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Missing ATV Rider

The New York State Police (NYSP) recently requested support from DEC Forest Rangers to help find a missing ATV rider in the Town of Espos.

Officers say the 48-year-old from Port Ewen left his home the night before, but never returned. This was alarming to NYSP Troopers who knew it could be a potentially fatal situation. In order to find him the quickest, they needed the expertise of Forest Rangers.

Read More: Avid Hikers Asked to Avoid the Adirondack Rail Trail; Here’s Why

Ranger Griggsby Cowart was fast to respond, but needed help himself finding the missing man's location. Ulster County provided data from the subject's last known cell phone coordinates and they were finally off in the right direction.

At around 1:19 PM they found the man, but it wasn't the way they wanted.

T-Tadanobu from Getty Images Pro
T-Tadanobu from Getty Images Pro
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Tragic Outcome

Ranger Cowart located the subject in a stream underneath the ATV. Unfortunately he was no longer alive.

Rangers worked alongside the NYSP Dive Team to remove his deceased body from the water, before bringing him back to the trailhead. The subject was then turned over to the coroner.

Read More: Man Escapes Hospital, Swims a Lake from Police in Upstate NY

DEC officials have not announced what caused the death, yet this only stresses the importance of ATV safety. Not only should you obey all the rules when operating an ATV, but you should also tell others where you're going and the time you expect to return home. This gives more time for first responders to find you in case of an emergency, like with this accident.

9 Of New York State's Most Wanted Criminals- October 2023

Below are individuals wanted by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision's (DOCCS) Office of Special Investigations who have been designated as its Most Wanted Fugitives. They should be considered armed and dangerous. This list is current as of 10/01/2023:

NEVER attempt to apprehend a fugitive yourself. If you have information on the location of any of these fugitives, you can contact OSI 24 hours a day / 7 days a week to report it. All leads and tips are treated as confidential information.

If an immediate response is necessary, such as you see the wanted person at a location, please call “911” and report it to the police.

Gallery Credit: Dave Wheeler

New York State's 10 Drunkest Counties

According to County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, these are the 10 New York counties with the highest rates of excessive alcohol consumption among adults. The CDC says exessive drinking includes binge drinking which is "...defined as consuming 4 or more drinks on an occasion for a woman or 5 or more drinks on an occasion for a man.." and heavy drinking which " ...for women...is 8 drinks or more per week/For men, heavy drinking is 15 drinks or more per week."

Gallery Credit: Matty Jeff

October New York Lottery Scratch Off Tickets With The Most Number One Jackpots Remaining

Here in New York, the time is now to start searching for some amazing jackpots. There are all sorts of different kinds of Scratch-Off tickets offered by the New York Lottery.

While looking at the latest weekly roundup for grand prizes, we counted 59 different tickets that have their grand prizes still on the market. The report was last updated on August 29th 2023, as we publish this article. 

Gallery Credit: Dave Wheeler

LOOK! Abandoned Orange County Chopper HQs in Newburgh-TLC's 'American Chopper'

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.
In 2003, a father-son business reality show hit the Discovery Channel. It was called American Chopper and it followed the custom motorcycle-building business of the Teutul family out of Newburgh, NY. Paul Sr. owned the shop with sons Paul Jr. and Mikey working in the business. There was a slew of cast and characters. The center of the show wasn't just the amazing custom motorcycles built for celebrities and others, it was the volatile relationship between Sr. and Jr. The show ran for 12 seasons before the two could no longer get along. It ended up in lawsuits and the two not talking for ten-plus years. In the past few years, the business moved to Florida. This left the 61,000-square-foot headquarters for sale and abandoned. Take a look at what remains of Orange County Choppers.

Gallery Credit: © 2020 CBRE, Inc., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDpnZClZfkA, chrissy cavotta-Townsquare Media

Top 15 New York State Party Colleges

Are New York State colleges known for their wild and crazy parties? Here's the top 15 party schools in our great state thanks to Niche.com.

Gallery Credit: Dave Wheeler