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Post by compeateropeator on Feb 14, 2018 3:22:26 GMT
This is one of those story's that you wonder if we will ever really know what went on. Has anyone been following the story about the missing Toronto firefighter from Whiteface? This has been a big story for our area the last week. I am so glad he was found alive, but it is so strange. I read somewhere that they don't know how he got to California but don't think he flew because all his ids were found with his belongings and his car was still at Whiteface.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (WCAX) Police say a skier who went missing on Whiteface Mountain has been found alive and well in California. Constantinos "Danny" Filippidis
Crews started searching for Constantinos "Danny" Filippidis, 49, a firefighter from Toronto, last Wednesday. He was reported missing from Whiteface in Northern New York after the lifts closed that day, and in the midst of a snowstorm.
Tuesday, New York State Police reported Filippidis was found alive and well in Sacramento, California. They say he made contact with authorities there, ending a seven-day multi-agency search at Whiteface in Wilmington. New York State Police say the circumstances of the case are still under investigation. There's no word yet on how Filippidis ended up in California or why he didn't come forward when media reports about his disappearance began circulating. However, Filippidis was reportedly still wearing the same clothes he disappeared in.
"We're extremely happy for Danny, his family, his friends that he is alive and they will be reunited. We understand that there will be speculation and many questions at this time. However, please appreciate that authorities will be conducting a full and thorough investigation into what transpired," said Frank Ramagano of Toronto Firefighters Local 3888. "I'm told that he still had the same clothing that he was skiing in. And the authorities seemed to indicate that it looked like he had been in those clothes since he had been missing."
Officials say more than 140 people spent a combined 7,000 hours searching the rugged mountain terrain, calling in helicopters and search dogs to assist. The search used many different state agencies, as well as the Toronto firefighters association. About 80 volunteers came down from north of the border. Filippidis was with a group of Toronto firefighters on an annual ski trip to Whiteface when he disappeared.
Meanwhile, riders on the mountain who have been following the search could not believe Tuesday's news.
Reporter Kelly O'Brien: So you haven't heard where he was found, right? Thomas Lathbury/Philadelphia: No, I have not. Kelly O'Brien: He was found alive. Thomas Lathbury: Very Good. Kelly O'Brien: In California. Thomas Lathbury: OK? Didn't hear that, no.
Lathbury looked confused and that is what many folks are feeling. There are still a lot of questions to be answered in this case. It is still under investigation by New York State Police. They plan to hold a press conference Wednesday to release more information.
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quiltz
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Jun 29, 2014 16:13:28 GMT
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Post by quiltz on Feb 14, 2018 3:41:01 GMT
Rachael D'Amore, CTV News Toronto
Published Tuesday, February 13, 2018 3:37PM EST
Last Updated Tuesday, February 13, 2018 10:31PM EST
A Toronto firefighter who disappeared during a ski trip in upstate New York has been found “alive and in good health” in Sacramento, Calif.
Constantinos “Danny” Filippidis disappeared on Feb. 7 when he got caught in a snowstorm while skiing on Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid, New York.
According to Toronto Professional Fire Firefighters’ Association President Frank Ramagnano, Filippidis was able to make a call to his wife sometime this afternoon.“He had called her by a nickname and she quickly recognized the voice and that it was him but then they lost contact. He contacted her again and they kept him on the phone and asked him to call 911 to get him help as soon as possible,” he said.
New York State Police confirmed on Tuesday that Filippidis has since been located, after he “made contact with local authorities” in Sacramento.
Once he was in police care, Ramagnano said Filippidis was “confused” and “unable to give direct answers.” Police determined that he needed medical care and brought him to a hospital.
“I believe he’s still under medical monitoring,” he said.
“I’m told that he still had the same clothing that he was skiing in and the authorities seemed to indicate that it looked like he had been in those clothes since he had been missing.”
While speaking with Sacramento police, Filippidis said he was missing and declined the fact that he was a victim of a crime.
“He identified himself and he was transported from our custody to a local hospital where he is getting treatment,” Sgt. Shaun Hampton with Sacramento police told CP24 in an interview over the phone on Tuesday evening. “He believes he suffered a head injury at some point but is unclear as to when that occurred.”
Hampton said Filippidis told officials he slept for a great deal of the trip from the east to west coast of the United States.
“After speaking with him (Filippidis) it sounds as if he may have gotten a ride in a big rig – he was unable to provide us with a description of the big rid or a description of the driver of the big rig – but he was found with cash in his possession and a Visa card and a cell phone he had recently purchased,” he said.
Hampton added officers believe he was a “willing participant” of this journey and said that drugs or alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the incident.
Ramagnano said Filippidis went missing during an annual trip organized by a group of off-duty firefighters. He said Filippidis was skiing with one other person but when that person started to feel fatigued, he said Filippidis decided to do “one last run” by himself.
The group was due to return home that night.
At the time of disappearance, police said that more than a metre of snow had fallen over a 24-hour period and that the storm likely made visibility poor. The dumping of snow also hampered search efforts, they said.
Ramagnano said police conducted a “comprehensive investigation” and through numerous interviews with people on the trip, they found no indication “of any problems” or that Filippidis was impaired.
“People are going to assume what they’re going to assume, but I think we have authorities in California and in New York State who will do a full search,” he said, acknowledging the approximately 4,665 kilometres between the two locations.
“There were a lot of resources that New York State put into this search and they’re going to want to make sure that nothing here was done maliciously, as they should. They’ll do a comprehensive investigation.”
At the height of the search, more than 140 forest rangers, state police officers, members of Homeland Security, area ski patrols and off-duty Toronto firefighters were involved.
Ramagnano called the response from fellow firefighters “tremendous,” with about 100 volunteering to aid in the search efforts. He said he’s proud of how his members came together and that their collaboration speaks to the closeness of the service.
“I know that there were 80 on the mountain today searching for him and we had an equal number of firefighters willing to work shift for the firefighters that went,” he said.
“Some knew him really well and some didn’t know him at all, (but) they all understood that one of us was in trouble. We use the terms ‘brother’ and ‘sister’ and I’m glad that they’re not just words because the actions of (our members) this past week really showed me that we are a family.”
In an earlier statement, Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg said members of Toronto Fire Services are “relieved” to know Filippidis was found safe.
“We are all very relieved to know that he is safe, following what has been an exhaustive search operation,” Pegg wrote.
He went on to thank those who aided in the search.
Authoritites have not said when Filippidis will return back to Toronto.
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Post by compeateropeator on Feb 14, 2018 3:48:43 GMT
Thanks for that lostinspace. That is more than I have seen so far on how he was found.
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theshyone
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Posts: 3,411
Jun 26, 2014 12:50:12 GMT
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Post by theshyone on Feb 14, 2018 3:55:01 GMT
Wow.
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Post by birukitty on Feb 14, 2018 4:24:37 GMT
How strange. Although I hope for his sake he wasn't taken with force I also hope he didn't leave on his own knowing exactly what he was doing given how long the search went on. Maybe it's a case of him being medically impaired?
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Mary Kay Lady
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PeaNut 367,913 Refupea number 1,638
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Jun 27, 2014 4:11:36 GMT
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Post by Mary Kay Lady on Feb 14, 2018 4:54:54 GMT
Hmmmm . . . another odd and interesting case to follow. I wonder if he'll eventually be able to remember how he got to California?
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Post by femalebusiness on Feb 14, 2018 5:04:52 GMT
I hadn't heard about this. How odd. I'll be interested to hear what they find is the reason behind his disappearance.
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Post by jenjie on Feb 14, 2018 5:35:21 GMT
Oh my.
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Post by flanz on Feb 14, 2018 7:02:09 GMT
Very strange. I'm glad he's safe, but it sounds like he may have had some sort of head injury. Wishing him well!
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Post by Lexica on Feb 14, 2018 7:15:45 GMT
That is quite a strange story. If he had a head injury and was very disoriented, I can see how he might wander off, but to hitch a ride on a big rig for multiple days is very odd indeed. Since he was in the same clothing as he was on the ski trip, it lends believability to his situation, but we may never know what really went down. I'm glad he was able to call his wife, who was undoubtedly beside herself with worry. Yeah, I will be watching this to see if any more information comes out.
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Post by dewryce on Feb 14, 2018 7:33:42 GMT
Things that immediately ran through my head were drugs, psychotic break or other mental issue, and head injury. They seem to think drugs were not involved. I'm certainly not an expert but I think that the main illnesses with potential for psychotic breaks are schizophrenia and (to a lesser degree) bipolar disorder but by 49 I think the disease would have probably manifested itself or there would more than likely be an inkling if they are severe enough for a break. There is another disorder fugue something where people have been known to suddenly leave home with no reason but I don't think they know who they are. Will go read up on it. That would have to be some head injury, and wouldn't it show on an MRI or CATSCAN? eta: from Wikipedia
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Post by johna on Feb 14, 2018 10:19:43 GMT
wow. I hadn't heard this, either. It's so odd. I hope more details come out and he can remember what happened.
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sueg
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Apr 12, 2016 12:51:01 GMT
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Post by sueg on Feb 14, 2018 10:29:50 GMT
“After speaking with him (Filippidis) it sounds as if he may have gotten a ride in a big rig – he was unable to provide us with a description of the big rid or a description of the driver of the big rig – but he was found with cash in his possession and a Visa card and a cell phone he had recently purchased,” he said. You would hope that if this is the case, the driver of the rig - or anyone else who may have given him a ride - would come forward with info. I mean, somehow, this guy managed to make his way across the US - someone out there must know how he did that.
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ddly
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Post by ddly on Feb 14, 2018 11:31:27 GMT
I’ve been following this. I thought for sure they’d find him dead on the mountain. So weird. I hope he’s okay; it’s a very strange story.
Lisa G.
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Post by Zee on Feb 14, 2018 11:32:04 GMT
Hmmm...is all I have to say
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Sarah*H
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Post by Sarah*H on Feb 14, 2018 11:37:57 GMT
Having lived with someone who suffered a serious head injury, I would not be surprised if this is what happened to him. He may never remember.
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Post by elaine on Feb 14, 2018 12:25:48 GMT
Don’t the majority of skiing injuries happen on that “last run of the day”?
Truly an odd story. I wonder if we will ever hear what actually happened.
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sweetpeasmom
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Post by sweetpeasmom on Feb 14, 2018 12:27:04 GMT
You never really know what is going on in someone's head. A couple of weeks ago, a friend of ours went missing. Left the house that morning and never showed up to work. Missed a meeting. It wasn't until the next morning he was found. Still don't know what happened. He was safe and alive is all his wife posted.
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luckyexwife
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Post by luckyexwife on Feb 14, 2018 13:31:51 GMT
I was with someone when they went into a temporary amnesia. It was truly terrifying, and we ended up calling an ambulance to take her to the hospital. We called her daughter first, and she told us to call the ambulance. I rode in the ambulance with her, and the whole experience was so scary. She had no idea who she was, where she was, what she was doing, or what she was supposed to be doing. She was very scared as she knew something was wrong, but couldn't understand what. She said I looked familiar, but she didn't know why or who I was. When her daughter got there, she said the same thing, that she looked familiar but she didn't know why or how. For her, it took about 4 hours and she began to remember who she was. In the end the doctor said they can't tell exactly why it happens, but it could be brought on by stress.
Something like this could have happened in this case.
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pudgygroundhog
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Jun 25, 2014 20:18:39 GMT
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Feb 14, 2018 13:51:17 GMT
I was with someone when they went into a temporary amnesia. It was truly terrifying, and we ended up calling an ambulance to take her to the hospital. We called her daughter first, and she told us to call the ambulance. I rode in the ambulance with her, and the whole experience was so scary. She had no idea who she was, where she was, what she was doing, or what she was supposed to be doing. She was very scared as she knew something was wrong, but couldn't understand what. She said I looked familiar, but she didn't know why or who I was. When her daughter got there, she said the same thing, that she looked familiar but she didn't know why or how. For her, it took about 4 hours and she began to remember who she was. In the end the doctor said they can't tell exactly why it happens, but it could be brought on by stress. Something like this could have happened in this case. Wow, that's scary! It does sound like this guy suffered some kind of medical problem/head injury/mental breakdown. What I find so odd though is how he got to California. I would think that whoever gave him a ride would've picked up on this guy acting disoriented or weird and either alerted the authorities or at least refused to give the guy a ride. But maybe he was coherent enough to convince somebody he needed a ride. Bizarre story, but glad he is safe - what a relief for his family and friends.
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Post by compeateropeator on Feb 14, 2018 13:54:24 GMT
I am just glad he was found alive but have to admit my curiosity is piqued on how he got to California.
Like ddly, I truthfully thought that he would be found dead on the mountain, especially when we were getting to day 3 and 4 of the search. The weather was terrible those first days he went missing.
It says he was found in his ski clothes, does that include his ski boots? That would be very strange and uncomfortable, and wouldn’t you think that if someone picked him up they would notice or question that? I also read somewhere (but do not know if this is true) that he was still wearing his helmet. Again wouldn’t that send some warning bells to people around him that there is something going on? Also it isn’t like he was a found a few hours or even states away - he made it completely across the country.
We will probably never know. But no matter what, I hope whatever medical issues are going on can be diagnosed and resolved and that his life can get back to “normal”.
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Post by donna on Feb 14, 2018 16:59:57 GMT
I have not watched the news in ages, so I had not heard about this. It is definitely a strange story.
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mallie
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Jul 3, 2014 18:13:13 GMT
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Post by mallie on Feb 14, 2018 18:27:04 GMT
I am just glad he was found alive but have to admit my curiosity is piqued on how he got to California. Like ddly, I truthfully thought that he would be found dead on the mountain, especially when we were getting to day 3 and 4 of the search. The weather was terrible those first days he went missing. It says he was found in his ski clothes, does that include his ski boots? That would be very strange and uncomfortable, and wouldn’t you think that if someone picked him up they would notice or question that? I also read somewhere (but do not know if this is true) that he was still wearing his helmet. Again wouldn’t that send some warning bells to people around him that there is something going on? Also it isn’t like he was a found a few hours or even states away - he made it completely across the country. We will probably never know. But no matter what, I hope whatever medical issues are going on can be diagnosed and resolved and that his life can get back to “normal”. I was wondering about the boots as well. Also, where are his skis and poles? How did he get off the mountain? How did he hitch a ride (or however he got away from Whiteface)? I have to wonder if there is any security camera footage at the ski area that shows him leaving.
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Post by compeateropeator on Feb 15, 2018 15:19:16 GMT
I am just glad he was found alive but have to admit my curiosity is piqued on how he got to California. Like ddly, I truthfully thought that he would be found dead on the mountain, especially when we were getting to day 3 and 4 of the search. The weather was terrible those first days he went missing. It says he was found in his ski clothes, does that include his ski boots? That would be very strange and uncomfortable, and wouldn’t you think that if someone picked him up they would notice or question that? I also read somewhere (but do not know if this is true) that he was still wearing his helmet. Again wouldn’t that send some warning bells to people around him that there is something going on? Also it isn’t like he was a found a few hours or even states away - he made it completely across the country. We will probably never know. But no matter what, I hope whatever medical issues are going on can be diagnosed and resolved and that his life can get back to “normal”. I was wondering about the boots as well. Also, where are his skis and poles? How did he get off the mountain? How did he hitch a ride (or however he got away from Whiteface)? I have to wonder if there is any security camera footage at the ski area that shows him leaving. Our local news this morning reported that Filippidis has returned to NY and they are trying to piece together what happened. They are asking for anyone who saw him or interacted with him to contact the State Police. Hopefully they will able to figure some of it out. I am sure it causing so much stress and trauma for him not knowing and trying to understand it all. I feel so bad for him.
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Post by Crack-a-lackin on Feb 15, 2018 15:33:44 GMT
Strange. As someone who has had a head injury, I think it’s entirely possible. I was functioning fairly normal, people who knew me just thought I was ill or tired, but I did some odd things during my recovery. And I have pockets of time I don’t remember. But at the time I thought I was fine, just tired. I could totally see myself climbing into a rig just to rest, then maybe the driver didn’t even notice him for a while. Maybe the driver isn’t coming forward because it’s against company policy to pick up a hitchhiker.
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peabay
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Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Feb 15, 2018 15:43:42 GMT
I have this weirdly bizarre fear of this happening to me - that I'll somehow become disoriented and not know what I'm doing and just end up somewhere.
I
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AmeliaBloomer
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Jun 26, 2014 5:01:45 GMT
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Post by AmeliaBloomer on Feb 15, 2018 19:40:36 GMT
I have this weirdly bizarre fear of this happening to me - that I'll somehow become disoriented and not know what I'm doing and just end up somewhere. I You okay? You started a new paragraph with "I" and then...well...vanished. Did you cyber wander and then finish your sentence on a completely different forum -- maybe one about toe fetishes or motorcycle repair? Tell us where you are. We'll come get you. ~AmeliaBloomer Couldn't resist
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craftykitten
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Post by craftykitten on Feb 15, 2018 19:58:55 GMT
I read somewhere that he'd had a haircut? Very odd behaviour, I hope they can resolve things for him.
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Post by bc2ca on Feb 15, 2018 20:58:50 GMT
I haven't heard anything on our local news about either him missing and the search or being found and a plea for anyone who might have interacted with him to come forward.
It is a really odd story, but I'm leaning to some sort of head injury on this one.
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peabay
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Post by peabay on Feb 15, 2018 21:01:10 GMT
I have this weirdly bizarre fear of this happening to me - that I'll somehow become disoriented and not know what I'm doing and just end up somewhere. I You okay? You started a new paragraph with "I" and then...well...vanished. Did you cyber wander and then finish your sentence on a completely different forum -- maybe one about toe fetishes or motorcycle repair? Tell us where you are. We'll come get you. ~AmeliaBloomer Couldn't resist How did I get here?!?! LOL - I did notice that when I hit "create post" and didn't bother to correct it.
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