New Hampshire Skydiver Rescued From Tree by Fire Department

A grateful skydiver in New Hampshire was saved by the Hollis Fire Department.

With the beautiful weather this past Memorial Day weekend, people were out and about, but for one skydiver in Hollis, New Hampshire, things didn't go exactly as planned.

At around seven at night on Runnells Bridge Road, a report came in of a man stuck in a tree around 250 feet off the roadway. When crews got there, he was 50 feet in the air!

Who was the unlucky (and very lucky) skydiver? It was newly-licensed skydiver AJ Clarke, who was in New Hampshire on a visit from New York. He decided to go for a trip with Skydive Pepperell. When he tried to land in the field where the plane took off, well, those pesky winds picked up. According to 7News Boston, he said,

I was out at a distance where I couldn’t make it back, so I decided I’m going to have to land somewhere else, and the winds did not really permit that proper landing. I was like, ‘I might be going into these trees,’ so I was like, ‘Let me brace for landing,’ and I just hugged the tree, and I stayed there.

Winds are hard to predict, and for many areas, they tend to kick up toward the end of the day. But never fear, the crew with the Hollis, New Hampshire, Fire Department was all over this for a very happy ending. Once they reached AJ, they made sure he was okay. He was, and had no injuries. They brought him down, and as you can see, he was very happy to be out of the trees!

AJ Clarke is in the US Navy Reserve, and is thankful to be alive. He told 7News Boston that he tries to stay positive (and even jokes a little), because the important part is that he survived!