WEST POINT (AP) -- A daring New York Police Department helicopter rescue in darkness and dangerous winds has safely delivered two West Point cadets from an 18-inch-wide ledge where they were stranded on a cliff 500 feet above the ground.
Police say the 20-year-old men were rescued early Sunday from a nearly vertical rock formation after they became trapped for about 10 hours during a training exercise.
They say the helicopter from the police department's aviation unit steadied itself against winds above 30 mph as it hovered about 60 to 80 feet above the men. The chopper's blades were just 20 feet from the rocks.
Aviation unit Capt. James Coan says the men were elated to be rescued at 2 a.m. He says they were treated for hypothermia but were in good condition.
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