Missing NYPD officer presumed dead in Guyana after stunt visit gone wrong: reports

A New York City police officer is said to have disappeared while visiting a waterfall in the South American country of Guyana.

New York Police Department (NYPD) Officer Gladstone Haynes, of the 70th Precinct serving Flatbush, Brooklyn, is missing but presumed dead after being dragged underwater by a strong current near Orinduik Falls, which borders Guyana and Brazil, the NY Daily News reported.

The incident allegedly happened around 2:15 p.m. Sunday, according to Guyanese news site Demerara Waves Online News. Haynes, a 17-year veteran of the NYPD who joined the force in 2005, reportedly flew in a small plane with friends and other tourists for a tour of the falls.

« He was swept away by the current of water, » his cousin, Allison Lawrence, told the Daily News. « He was an avid swimmer, so that’s a surprise. »

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Another anonymous tourist present at the time told Demerara Waves that there was no tour guide with the group, and the pilot, a man from Nicaragua, asked the group to walk down a path to get to to the falls by themselves.

It is unclear if Haynes was swimming at the time or if he slipped and fell in the water before being dragged under.

The tourist, who along with other members of the group ran back to tell the pilot what had happened, said the pilot did not have a satellite phone on him and had no internet connection radio to the airport, delaying emergency response.

Signage for the New York City Police Department.
(New York Police Department)

« We are assisting the State Department and local authorities in their investigation, » an NYPD spokesperson said in an email to Fox News Digital asking to confirm Haynes’ disappearance.

On Monday night, seven Guyanese Defense Force special forces personnel, the divisional police commander and four police officers were conducting a search for Haynes near the falls, according to Demerara Waves.

A New York Police Department car.
(Stock)

Haynes, whose father served in the Guyana police, lived in Brooklyn with his partner and three children, according to his family. « He loved his job, » Lawrence told the Daily News. « He was a 17-year veteran. He always wanted to be a policeman because his father was a policeman. »

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« He’s generous and loving, » Haynes’ cousin added. « He’s a hardworking young man who would give you the clothes he’s got on his back. We’re taking it badly. We’re praying for him. »