Dramatic video shows cops using night vision equipment to rescue two Florida hikers lost for hours in a dark, alligator-infested swamp
- Two hikers in Florida became lost in an alligator-infested swamp at Cypress Creek Wilderness Preserve
- After calling for help as darkness fell, a rescue operation was launched using a police helicopter equipped with night vision goggles
- The infrared camera on the helicopter located the stranded hikers, and ground patrol deputies led by the aviation unit reached them in the swamp
A pair of Florida hikers became so lost in an alligator-infested swamp that a comprehensive plan was put into motion, using everything from a police helicopter to night vision goggles to coordinate their rescue, along with a ground team. .
The pair became disoriented while making their way through the 2,500-acre Cypress Creek Wilderness Preserve near Tampa in west-central Florida on December 23. At one point the men were up to their knees in murky water.
As the light slowly faded, the hikers knew they were in trouble and called emergency services because they knew they were in an environment teeming with alligators, snakes and fire ants.
'We received a call at 6.25 pm from one of the lost hikers. They said they were lost for more than four hours and tried in vain to find their way out. They decided to call us when it got dark and they were in a swampy area,” the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office explained.
Police used night vision cameras to locate two lost hikers in the Cypress Creek Wilderness Preserve
The couple's body heat helped illuminate them on the infrared cameras
Meanwhile, officers moved along the ground into the reserve to find the two men
The area is teeming with alligators, snakes and fire ants
The rescue plan was immediately implemented and a helicopter with an infrared camera was launched into the air in an attempt to locate the lost men.
The pair appeared extremely ill-equipped, without fresh water and armed with only the light of a mobile phone to help them see.
The sheriff's aviation unit was able to quickly locate the duo, whose body heat showed up as bright white silhouettes on the night vision camera.
Video from the helicopter shows the men from above through the trees around 7:30 p.m.
Guided by the pilot from above, patrol officers on the ground were able to reach the men through the swamp. They seemed to greet the officers casually when they saw them say, “How are you?”
Guided by the helicopter overhead, the men were eventually found lurking in the swamp
The man was extremely ill-equipped and had no water or flashlight with him
The men had to use the light of their cell phones to find their way out of the swamp
The men decided on the offer of an ambulance and seemed quite relaxed despite their ordeal
The men said they were 'fine' when offered an ambulance and refused further medical attention.
The officers then placed the uninjured couple between them and led them back to safety.
The sheriff's office said it “quickly acted to locate and rescue them.” Our Aviation Unit, equipped with night vision goggles, led our patrol officers to a swampy area where the hikers were located and escorted them safely back to the entrance of the reserve.”
Cypress Creek Nature Preserve “is part of a vast wildlife corridor” that includes forests, swamps, cypresses and marshes.
Although there are marked hiking trails, many of them flood during the rainy season.