New Hampshire

Man Who Climbed Tree to Retrieve Drone Stuck, Rescued in NH

The 30-year-old man had minimal climbing experience but watched self-help videos online before he borrowed a friend's equipment and took it upon himself to retrieve his drone

A drone stuck in a tree at a Manchester, New Hampshire park prompted firefighters to make an unusual rescue.

Firefighters said a 30-year-old man could have fallen to his death from a 60-feet fall after he climbed a tree at Lafayette Park to retrieve his drone. Crews said that the man had little to no climbing experience but watched self-help videos online before he borrowed a friend’s climbing equipment to get his wayward item.

"We arrived to find a gentleman that was about 60 feet up in a tree," Manchester Fire Department Chief Mike Gamache said. "He was hanging on a rope."

After becoming fatigue once he reached the top of the tree, the unidentified man was hanging onto a rope and hanging on for his life.

"He rescued his drone," Gamache said. "He was able to knock his drone down but when it was time to come down, he was too fatigued to unlock himself from his position."

Fire crews came to his rescue and set up a 100-feet ladder to help untangle the man and lower him to the ground. The effort took 30 minutes and officials said he refused medical treatment once he was saved.

Manchester firefighters highly discourage people with minimal climbing experience to refrain from trying to climb a tall surface.

"He knew he almost died," Gamache said. "We don't encourage people climbing to heights that they’re uncomfortable with without the right training and equipment."

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