RYE, N.Y. (August 29, 2025) — Police used a drone to locate a missing swimmer who tried to cross a harbor late at night, leading to his rescue and transport to a hospital for minor injuries.
The City of Rye Police Department was dispatched to the Shenorock Shore Club located at 475 Stuyvesant Ave in the City of Rye, New York, for a party attempting to swim across the harbor to his residence on Hix Ave.
At approximately 11:00 PM, Marine Unit assets from the Mamaroneck Police Department, as well as the Westchester County Police Department joined officers from the City of Rye Department in searching for the missing swimmer later identified as 51 year old Kenneth Niejadlik.
Witnesses stated that Kenneth Niejadlik took off his clothes and stated he was going to swim home from the docks at the Shenorock Shore Club Restaurant. When police arrived on scene witnesses stated he had not been seen for approximately 15 minutes.
Rye Police Department Drone Operator Officer Dan Dabrowski quickly launched the department drone equipped with infrared from the Shenorock Shore Club Docks to assist with the search. PO Dabrowski was able to locate the missing swimmer close to the shore line in the area of the Marshlands Conservancy and lead the Marine Unit assets to him.
Niejadlik made it to shore where he attempted to get Niejadlik on board and transport him to the docks of the American Yacht Club where officers and EMS were waiting. After an evaluation EMS determined Niejadlik would be transported to Greenwich Hospital for minor injuries.
The Axon Drone program is a fairly new addition to the City of Rye Police Department. In the last five years RPD have purchased two drones and have 6 officers trained as operators.
We asked Rye PD for images and were directed to the Axon website.
The City of Rye Police Department has recently implemented the Drone as a first responder initiative. For this program the drone can be launched from the roof of Rye Police Headquarters and respond to emergency situations before emergency assets arrive, giving officers a bird’s eye view of the situation pre arrival.
The City of Rye Police Department expressed their thanks to the officers from Mamaroneck and Westchester County’s Marine Units that assisted in this rescue.
This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.