Michael Joseph Ryan, 61, died a “hero” after suffering a fatal heart attack while rescuing a hiker stranded in the Catskill Mountains.
According to the New York Post, Ryan, who is a veteran cop, took the job of his town’s resident fire commissioner following his retirement.
On late Saturday evening, he received an SOS signal in Panther Mountain and responded to it along with firefighters from the Phoenicia Volunteer Fire Department.
According to a report by Syracuse.com, when the crew arrived at the scene, they found a 20-year-old hiker stranded after injuring his ankle while hiking the 3,700-foot mountain.
Unfortunately, just as the crew began helping the younger hiker, Ryan went into sudden cardiac arrest.
Per the outlet, the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s forest rangers quickly shifted their attention to giving the veteran a much-needed CPR.
When it proved ineffective, the team, consisting of the firefighters, rangers, and officers from the Shandaken Police Department carried him down the rest of the mountain.
Hero NY fire commissioner suffers fatal heart attack while rescuing hiker stranded in Catskills Mountains: ‘Ultimate sacrifice’ https://t.co/O2ABwrcizL pic.twitter.com/n9oDJttUpt
— New York Post (@nypost) December 19, 2025
The nearby healthcare facility was about 23 miles away from the mountain base and paramedics tried to resuscitate Ryan while rushing to the hospital.
Despite their efforts, the veteran couldn’t be saved and passed away at the hospital. Ryan is now being commemorated for making the “ultimate sacrifice.”
In his obituary, Ryan’s family noted that his death in the line of duty is “a fitting tribute to a man who always put the lives of others before his own.”
“There are a lot of people alive because of him,” his nephew wrote. The Phoenicia Fire District also honored Ryan and his 45 years of service.
“His loss is felt deeply by our department, our community, and all who had the privilege of serving alongside him. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Mike’s family, friends, and colleagues,” the official page of the district wrote on Facebook.
“His legacy of service will not be forgotten. Rest easy, Mike. We’ll take it from here,” they added.
Michael Joseph Ryan, who is a Brooklyn native, started his career in service with the US Air Force. During this time, he served three deployments in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq.
While in the US Air Force, he received great honors like the Iraq Medal, Air Force Expeditionary Medal, and Global War on Terrorism Medal, as written in his obituary.
After ending his journey with the force, Ryan began working with the Kingston Police Department for the next 25 years.
The veteran also served with the KPD Honor Guard, the Ulster Police Department and the Ulster County Law Enforcement Training Group.
Although Ryan informally retired in 2021, he continued to train recruits at the town’s police academy. Recently, he began working as the fire commissioner at the M.F. Whitney Hose Co., which is located in the Phoenicia Fire District.
