'Disoriented' Man, Pet Cats Rescued From Swamp

Body camera footage shows the recent rescue of a young man and his two cats in Somerset, Massachusetts. Officer Brennan Cardoza waded into knee-deep muddy water in late June to locate a 19-year-old who had gotten lost in a swampy area of town. 

The teenager reported that he had gotten lost while going on a walk and had been wandering around the dense swamp for seven hours. He told officers he left without his cell phone or sufficient water. 

In the body camera footage, the officer pushes his way through tall reeds growing out of the water until finding the visibly disoriented young man. “Muddy, nasty area where you wouldn’t want to be," Cardoza told local news affiliate WPRI, "it was difficult to see, I had to call out for the gentleman." 

Police began their search after the boy's parents called the Somerset Police Department to report him missing, saying he never came home from his walk. Nearby neighbors had heard cries out for help but could not locate where they were coming from. 

Massachusetts police also utilized a drone to locate the missing teen as the officers searched through the thick branches. The drone played a pre-recorded message instructing the young man to continue calling out until officers were able to find him. Once recovered, the drone also helped Officer Cardoza and the teen find their way out of the area.

“Thankfully, this was successful,” said Officer Trenholme, who piloted the drone. The young man and his two cats made it back home with no injuries.