Night vision goggles used to rescue hikers from gator-infested swamp

Two hikers were rescued by night vision goggles after becoming lost in an alligator-infested swamp in Florida.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call of disorientated hikers in the 2,500-acre Cypress Creek Wilderness Preserve who were lost for over four hours on 23 December 2023.

Footage shows their Aviation Unit, equipped with night vision goggles, guiding on-ground deputies to the location of the lost wayfarers.

Body camera footage shows officers finding the smiling pair of hikers trudging through shin-high water, before leading them back to the trail.

The area is home to not only alligators but rattlesnakes and fire ants, and the pair knew they were in trouble as the light faded from the swamp.