A 56-year-old New York man died in a snowmobile accident Monday when the sled he and another man were riding on broke through the ice on Orange County's Goshen Reservoir and fell into the water, State Police said Tuesday.
It was one of more than 300 accidents New York State Police responded to as a furious nor'easter battered the tri-state area for more than 30 hours, dumping up up to 30 inches of snow in spots and more than 17 inches in Central Park.
Two State Police troopers responding to a call about an accident in Goshen around 5:30 p.m. Monday spotted a man, later identified as Richard Stetson, in the woods. He was put on a backboard and taken via ambulance to a hospital.
Law enforcement officials then learned Stetson had been riding on a snowmobile with another Goshen man, identified as Arne Jensen, on the reservoir when the ice broke. Stetson somehow managed to get out of the water, climb onto the ice and call for help, which is what led to State Police finding him in the woods.
Cold water rescue technicians got into the icy reservoir and eventually found Jensen. He was pulled out and taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
State Police say their investigation is ongoing.
