Onondaga County Sheriff's Helicopter and Drone Rescue Two People and a Dog

A deputy-launched drone located a dog with an AirTag stuck in Hamlin Marsh on Henry Clay Blvd, and Air 1, the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office Bell 407 helicopter, later airlifted two people to Clay Park where EMS evaluated them. The call and response unfolded the night of Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.

A citizen flagged down a Road Patrol Deputy at Hamlin Marsh and told deputies his dog, which had an AirTag, had been missing since the day before and the tag was showing the dog somewhere in the marsh. The initial location led a second patrol deputy in the area to deploy a drone to search the frozen wetlands.

“A deputy equipped with one of our drones deployed it and after a few minutes located the dog stuck in the water and ice,” deputies reported. The drone’s locating capability provided a precise position on the dark marsh, where conditions were described as frozen knee to waist deep ice water, snow and marsh.

During the drone search, three friends of the dog’s owner arrived and entered the marsh despite deputies’ warnings. The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office statement said, “During this time three friends of the dog’s owner arrived and took it upon themselves after Deputies advised them not to, to try to enter the Marsh and attempt to rescue the dog. All three friends got stuck in the frozen knee to waist deep ice water / snow and marsh. Three Patrol Deputies attempted to enter the marsh to rescue the friends but were not able to get to them.”

Air 1 responded and “was able to rescue two of the three victims by picking them up out of the marsh and flying them to Clay Park where they landed and were evaluated by EMS.” The helicopter crews executed the airlift at night; sources note the landing and patient evaluation took place at Clay Park but provide no further medical condition details.

The Onondaga County Aviation Unit describes Air 1 as a single-engine Bell 407 equipped with Night Sun, a 30 million candlepower light source, forward looking infrared (FLIR), video downlink and videotaping capabilities, and floats that can assist with water landings. The Aviation Unit states it is staffed by one chief pilot, two pilot/deputies and two flight observer/deputies and says the unit can launch in four minutes and reach most county locations in about seven minutes.

The drone confirmed the dog was stuck in the marsh, but published accounts do not specify whether or when the dog was recovered or its condition after being located. Sources also do not identify the three friends, the two people airlifted, the third friend’s ultimate outcome, or whether the rescued people required hospital transport after EMS evaluation.

A photo of the response is credited to the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office (file name puppy rescue.png). The Aviation Unit’s rapid-launch capability and night-vision equipment were central to the response; county officials have not released names or further medical details.