CONTACT:
Lieutenant Mark Ober
603-788-4850
603-271-3361
September 28, 2026
Sargent’s Purchase, NH – On Saturday, September 26, 2026, at approximately 10:00 p.m., NH Fish and Game Conservation Officers and volunteers from Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue (AVSAR) were called upon to rescue a hiker with an unknown physical ailment from the Boot Spur Trail.
The hiker, identified as Nagarajan Tiruchchirapallis, 48, of Jersey City, NJ, had been hiking with three other companion hikers that day. It was reported that Tiruchchirapallis had started hiking with the group early that morning up Tuckerman Ravine Trail, but he was struggling to ascend, so his companions told him to turn around and not attempt the hike. He turned around and ended up taking a shuttle to the top of Mt. Washington where he met his companions. After a break at the summit, the three who had hiked up planned to hike back down and Tiruchchirapallis decided to hike down to the bottom with them. They started down at 11:30 a.m.
According to one of his companions, it took Tiruchchirapallis nearly 2 hours to go approximately ½ mile. At this point he was again told by his companions to turn around and return back to the summit for a ride down, but he refused and chose to continue on.
After several 911 calls later in the day and multiple attempts by his companions to get him down, including carrying him on their backs, a rescue crew was called. The rescue team reached Tiruchchirapallis at 12:30 a.m. on Sunday morning and assisted him down to the Sherburne ski trail where he was placed on an ATV and driven down to the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center arriving at 2:00 a.m. From there he was evaluated by EMS personnel from Gorham Ambulance and was ultimately transported to Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin for precautionary reasons.