MARCELLUS -- Update: 9:30pm:
Onondaga County Sheriff's deputies have located a driver who left the scene of an accident. Kyle Connor, 24, was found hiding near the intersection of West Seneca Turkpike and Lathrop Drive in Marcellus shortly after 6:30pm. Neighbors reported a man fitting his description knocking on doors.
Deputies called off the official search shortly before Connor was found.
The crash remains under investigation. Deputies say Connor will likely be ticketed.
Posted earlier:
After a 2006 Ford pickup lost control on West Seneca Turnpike near Marcellus, rolled over and struck a utility pole, neighbors told deputies they saw two men run from the scene. It wasn't long before deputies found the passenger, 24-year-old Robert Kilcoyne. Though his injuries were minor, deputies say Kilcoyne appeared to be drunk and uncooperative.
The driver, 24-year-old Kyle Connor, was still missing and with wind chills dipping into the teens, deputies became concerned for Connor's safety. Undersheriff Warren Darby coordinated the effort. "We believe that he may be injured because of the temperature, he may be down because of hypothermia" said Darby.
By daylight, deputies were joined by dozens of volunteers from nearby fire departments, wilderness search and rescue teams, dog handlers and U.S. Marshals. The search spanned into the wooded countryside as helicopters hovered overhead.
Searchers figured Connor, who lives about a mile from the accident scene, could have holed up in one of the many homes near Marcellus. Authorities issued a reverse 9-1-1 call to alert neighbors including Skip Lambert. "If he's from around here, I think he's pretty safe."
At last report, Connor was still missing. Darby says if nothing else, Tuesday's events proved to be good practice for future search and rescue operations.
