Teen Rescued From Chest-Deep Mud at Shirley Wildlife Refuge

Benjamin Moore, a teenager, called 911 from inside Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge in Shirley on Sunday evening after sinking chest-deep into the wetland mud and finding himself unable to pull free. The call came in at 7:27 p.m. Suffolk County Police officers from the Seventh Precinct located Moore in the marshy terrain, coordinated with other on-scene personnel, and extracted him from the mud before the night deepened.

Moore was transported from the refuge without life-threatening injuries, according to the Suffolk County Police Department.

What the rescue made plain is how quickly Wertheim's tidal flats can trap a person who leaves a marked trail. The refuge's wetland soil behaves like quicksand under body weight: the more a person struggles, the deeper they sink. A chest-deep entrapment creates compounding dangers, including dropping spring temperatures, rising tides, and the physical exhaustion of fighting mud with no stable footing beneath. Sunday's incident unfolded in early April, when water temperatures in South Shore marshes remain cold enough to accelerate hypothermia if a victim is not reached quickly.

Wertheim spans thousands of acres of tidal wetland, coastal forest, and upland trail between the Carmans River and the Great South Bay, making it one of the most ecologically significant preserves on Long Island. That same landscape, however, conceals terrain that looks passable but isn't, particularly in the dim light after dusk.

Suffolk County Police used Sunday's incident to push a set of reminders the department wants visitors to carry into every trip to the refuge this spring. Stay on designated trails and do not cross onto tidal flats or marshy ground. Check tide conditions and ground conditions before heading out, and never visit remote areas alone. Bring a fully charged phone and tell someone your route and expected return time before you leave. If you become stuck, call 911 immediately rather than continuing to struggle; every minute spent fighting mud without rescue support increases the depth and danger of entrapment.

The Seventh Precinct is asking anyone who witnessed Sunday's incident or captured relevant video or photos to contact the precinct directly.