JAY — A Wilton man was rescued Tuesday afternoon after he became disoriented while picking fiddleheads near Sevenmile Stream in North Jay.  

A couple of times Mattheau Soha was waist deep in water as he tried to make his way back to his vehicle. 

Soha had parked at Ranor Inc.’s parking lot on Route 4  and walked out back where an old snowmobile-type trail is located.  

Police officer Dylan Rider was alerted by Soha’s mother at about 3 p.m. that Soha, 29, was missing.

Fire Rescue Chief Mike Booker, also a part-time Jay police officer, contacted Rider to see if he needed help locating the man. The Fire Rescue Department was toned out. About eight or nine firefighters showed up to help out. 

Booker said he went out on his ATV with Capt. Darren Roundy on the back and a Public Works Department employee, Corey Murphy, brought in his ATV to help search for Soha.

Soha who had his cellphone with him was asked to call 911 so dispatchers could find out GPS coordinates of where he was located, Booker said.

Booker also called 911 to find out how close they were to Soha and was given the coordinates. They were within 100 yards.

Once they got closer to Soha, they yelled out to him and made contact with him. Soha had been told to stay put but he kept moving. 

Jay Detective Michael Mejia said that Soha had complained of body cramping while he was lost.

Booker said Soha had been waist deep in water a couple of times but was able to get of the stream and onto the bank.

He was not very mobile and appeared to be pretty dehydrated, Booker said. He kept cramping up, he said.

Once they reached Soha, he got on Murphy’s ATV and he was driven to a NorthStar EMS ambulance, which was waiting at the end of Jerry Street where the Jay Sewer Treatment Plant is located.

Soha was checked out by medics and released at the scene before being driven back to his vehicle.

dperry@sunmediagroup.net