Officers rescue teen stuck in the mud in Shirley wildlife refuge on Easter

A Shirley teen got stuck in the mud inside Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge on Easter Sunday and needed to be rescued by Suffolk County Police.

A 15-year-old boy called 911 at 7:27 p.m. after going for a walk in the woods and losing his way after dark, police said. While walking in the Shirley preserve, he stepped into an offshoot of the Carmans River and sank into the mud, unable to free himself.

Dispatchers stayed on the line with him while Aviation Section officers flew a search route above the river.

Operators instructed him to use his cellphone flashlight to signal the helicopter, according to authorities. Once the boy was spotted, aviation officers were able to direct Seventh Precinct Patrol and Emergency Service Section officers on the ground to his location.

He was pulled from the mud about 8:25 p.m.

Canine Section and Marine Bureau officers, along with several local fire departments, also responded to assist.

Officers walked him out of the woods and he was taken by ambulance to Stony Brook University Hospital for evaluation.

_{Top: A wetland marsh similar to the terrain inside Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge in Shirley (Photo by Howard Walsh).}