Trooper who rescued snow-stranded driver on Owego road gets Red Cross Hero Award

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Zone Sgt. Jason Cawley, of New York State Police Troop C, received a “Southern Tier Real Heroes Award” last week from the American Red Cross, for locating and safely rescuing a Candor man, who was stranded and making repeated 911 calls for 10 hours after his car was covered by snow from a highway plow truck clearing Route 17C in the Town of Owego.

Here’s what happened:

On December 17, 2020, State Police in Troop C continued to respond to calls related to the overnight snowstorm.

Zone Sgt. Jason Cawley contacted Tioga County 911 to see if any emergency calls were pending due to the storm.

Sgt. Cawley was told dispatch had received a number of 911 calls from a man who had run off the road and needed assistance, but law enforcement in the area could not locate the driver.

Sgt. Cawley drove to the section of State Route 17C in the Town of Owego, in the Campville area, patrolled the area but also could not find the driver.

While driving, Sgt. Cawley saw what appeared to be a row of mailboxes and waded through the snow to check the addresses.

While digging, he hit the windshield of a car. Inside the car was the driver, who had been making 911 call, Kevin Kresen, 58, of Candor.

After speaking with the driver, he had been plowed in by a truck and the car covered with close to four feet of snow.

Stranded for more than 10 hours, with no heat due to a broken serpentine belt, the man was suffering from hypothermia and frostbite.

Kresen was removed from the vehicle and taken to Ascension Lourdes Hospital in Binghamtom for treatment where Cawley later visited him.