The eagle reached an animal hospital.
By Mara Quinn | November 11, 2026
Two EMTs from the Wallkill Volunteer Ambulance Corps were returning from a hospital run when they spotted an injured bald eagle on the roadside. They turned around.
Jessica Foster and Christopher Mancuso stopped to help and connected with officers from the Newburgh Police Department. Together, the group arranged for the eagle to be transported to a nearby animal hospital. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation was notified as part of the response.
The eagle showed signs of a head injury, according to ambulance corps accounts reported by ABC7. It had apparently been struck by a car.
Coverage Held
The Ulster County EMS Council confirmed that no emergency calls went unanswered while Foster and Mancuso were stopped. The two were on a return trip from the hospital when they spotted the bird. They were not responding to an active call.
Stopping was their call to make. The community ended up with the same emergency coverage it would have had otherwise.
Both Foster and Mancuso also serve with the Plattekill Fire Department, alongside their work with the ambulance corps.
A Multi-Agency Effort
The rescue paired the ambulance corps with the Newburgh Police Department in an unplanned response. Both groups worked together at the scene and arranged for the injured bird to receive veterinary care.
One eagle was transported to a nearby animal hospital, the NYSDEC was in the loop, and no emergency calls were left unanswered.
A rescue photo from the scene is credited to Alex Bennett, Jessica Foster, and Douglas Foster, who documented the response.
