Man stuck in storm drain is rescued in Valley Stream

A man who was wandering around and got stuck in the storm drains under North Valley Stream was rescued this morning by a task force of over 100 responders from the Nassau County Police, several fire departments and EMS personnel. Emergency responders said they believe the man is homeless and may suffer from mental illness.

“He was purposely down there. For what reason — we don’t know,” said James Lang, chief of the Malverne Fire Department. “He crawled in through some entry point – which could have been on Franklin Avenue or Valley Stream State Park or even been by Mill Pond Park.” Mill Pond Park is about three miles south of where the rescue took place.

Lang reported that the fire department removed a manhole cover at the corner of Corona Ave. and Higbie St., and was able to make contact with the man, who was stuck an estimated 100 feet away in front of the James A. Dever School.

Firefighters said they went four feet down into the storm drain and advised the man to slowly back out of the drain. Once the fire department made physical contact with him, they attached him to a harness, gave him oxygen, and pulled him out.

“When he came out, he was covered in mud, grease and whatever else is down there from head to toe," said Lang. "I couldn’t even tell you if he was white, black, Hispanic, whatever. The fire department hosed him down before EMS personnel transported him to the hospital for examination.

In addition to the Malverne Fire Department, which pulled the man to safety, others on the scene included firefighters part of the Confined Space Task Force from the Rockville Centre, Elmont and Freeport fire departments, as well as the Nassau County Police and Nassau County EMS.

The man emerged wearing a hospital bracelet, and some speculated that he may have been recently hospitalized somewhere nearby.

More on this story as it develops.