NYPD cop missing, presumed dead on waterfall tour during vacation in Guyana: ‘He always wanted to be a police officer,’ cousin says

An NYPD officer and father assigned to Brooklyn is listed as missing and presumed dead, after he was pulled under the water by a strong current while on vacation in Guyana, police said.

Officer Gladstone Haynes of the 70th Precinct in Flatbush was swimming in the waters near Orinduik Falls on Sunday when he disappeared.

He was traveling with friends on a tour at the falls, which is on the border of Guyana and Brazil, his cousin told the Daily News.

Police Officer Gladstone Haynes of the 70th Precinct in Flatbush was swimming in the waters near Orinduik Falls on Sunday when he disappeared.

“He got swept away by the current of the water,” his cousin Allison Lawrence told the Daily News. “He was an avid swimmer, so it’s a surprise.”

Rescuers managed to grab the woman, but couldn’t rescue Haynes.

“Basically, he went into some difficulty in the water, and he held another guy’s hand. I don’t know if the guy couldn’t grip him, and at that point he went under water and he didn’t come up back after that point,” another tourist who witnessed the apparent drowning told the Guyanese online news site Demerara Waves.

His disappearance sparked a massive search and rescue operation that included Guyanese soldiers and an airplane conducting a “search for a suspected missing person,” the news site said.

The waterfall is in a remote area, and Haynes’ tour group arrived at the site by plane, Demerara Waves reported.

The NYPD confirmed Haynes’ disappearance on Tuesday.

“We are assisting the State Department and local authorities with their investigation,” an NYPD spokesman said.

Haynes joined the NYPD in 2005 and has spent most of his career in the 70th Precinct. He is originally from Guyana, where his father was member of the Guyanese police force.

“He loved his job,” said Lawrence. “He was a 17-year veteran. He always wanted to be a police officer because his father was a police officer.”

Haynes lived in Brooklyn with his partner and three children.

“He’s kind-hearted and loving,” his cousin said. “He’s a hard-working young man who would give you the clothes off his back. We’re taking it hard. We’re praying for him.”

Content Source

California Press News – Latest News:
Los Angeles Local News || Bay Area Local News || California News || Lifestyle News || National news || Travel News || Health News

Related Articles

Back to top button