A Manhattan man on a weekend duck hunting expedition in an upstate forest drowned on Saturday morning. Marion Buttigieg, 20, was hunting with his brother and friends when he drowned in Stewart State Forest in the Orange County town of New Windsor. Emergency crews called to the area around 11:30 a.m. declared Buttigieg dead at the scene. The Times Herald-Record reports that second man was taken into St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital for evaluation.
Stewart State Forest stretches for 6,700-acres and includes wetlands. The circumstances of Buttigieg's death remain unclear. He was originally from the island nation of Malta and had been living in NYC for the last seven years attending the New York City College of Technology. His devastated girlfriend Rachel Sciberras wrote on Facebook, "he is my whole life! pls god listen to my prayers and help me :'( i really need my man!"
On his Facebook page, Buttigieg's brother Kevin wrote, "Me and my family would like to thank you all for the thoughts and encouragement in these rough and sad times. We lost a great person a best friend to me. We thank you again. Marion god wanted you to do what you loved doing one more time before he picked you to be next to him. i pray to you to give courage to your family in friends at these times. WE ALL LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU SO MUCH."
