Lost Hikers Rescued On Christmas Day: Police

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — Two hikers got lost on Christmas Day as daylight was fading, police said.

According to Southampton Town Police, a call for help from two women in distress came in at 3:30 p.m. on Christmas Day.

The women were hiking in the Pine Barrens and were lost in the vicinity of Suffolk County Community College; dispatchers quickly located their cell phone signal about .8 miles south of Moriches Riverhead Road, police said.

Dispatchers were concerned, as there was less than one hour of daylight left and the lost hikers' phone battery was at 30%, police said.

All available Southampton Town Police units were dispatched to the immediate area; authorities also deployed a drone in an attempt to locate the hikers, police said.

Dispatchers, utilizing e911 technology and the Silent Passenger GPS system, guided the hikers toward officers deployed along trails within the Pine Barrens, police said.

Southampton Town Police Office Josiah Hoshyla eventually located the hikers, evaluated their condition, and transported them to their vehicle, parked on County Road 51, police said.

Patch file photo.