He went out on his shield.
A veteran cop whose “retirement” included taking up the mantle as his town’s resident fire commissioner suffered a fatal heart attack Saturday while rescuing a young hiker stranded in the Catskills Mountains.
Michael Joseph Ryan, 61, responded to an SOS signal in Panther Mountain late Saturday evening alongside firefighters with the Phoenicia Volunteer Fire Department.
The crew located a 20-year-old hiker from New Jersey who had injured his ankle, Syracuse.comreported.
While the team was helping the hiker scale the rest of the 3,700-foot mountain, Ryan went into cardiac arrest.
Forest rangers with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, who were already responding to assist the injured hiker, rushed to Ryan’s aid and began CPR, the outlet reported.
The rangers, firefighters, and officers with the Shandaken Police Department carried Ryan down the rest of the mountain. At the base, local paramedics repeatedly tried to resuscitate Ryan while they sped to a nearby hospital — 23 miles away from the mountain.
Ryan later died at the hospital, the outlet reported.
A Brooklyn native, Ryan started his decades of service with the US Air Force and completed three deployments in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. He was lauded with high honors, including the Iraq Medal, Air Force Expeditionary Medal and Global War on Terrorism Medal, according to his obituary.
Shortly after his active duty ended, Ryan joined the Kingston Police Department, where he remained for 25 years.
He also worked with the KPD Honor Guard, the Ulster Police Department and the Ulster County Law Enforcement Training Group, according to his obituary.
Ryan informally retired in 2021, but continued to instruct recruits at the local police academy and, most recently, was named the fire commissioner at the M.F. Whitney Hose Co., a firehouse with the Phoenicia Fire District.
Ryan’s surviving family described his “ultimate sacrifice” in the line of duty as “a fitting tribute to a man who always put the lives of others before his own,” according to his obituary.
“There’s a lot of people alive because of him,” one of his nephews wrote.
The Phoenicia Fire District celebrated Ryan’s record 45 years of service and his lasting impact on each recruit he dutifully mentored.
“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. His legacy of service will not be forgotten,” the district wrote on Facebook.
“Rest easy, Mike. We’ll take it from here.”
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