Baby Deer In Manhole Rescued After 20-Foot Fall [PHOTOS]

A baby deer was rescued by officers of the Suffolk County Police Department Emergency Service in Mount Sinai, N.Y., on Thursday after the witnesses discovered the fawn at the bottom of a 20-foot manhole.

Landscapers first noticed the fawn inside the 20-foot manhole as they were working in a nearby vacant lot near Route 25A and Nesconset Highway on Long Island. The workers called police at about 3:36 p.m. EDT when they saw the baby deer was trapped.

"It's not something we come across at all -- it's unusual," Sgt. Peter Reilly, an officer with the responding agency, said in an interview with 1010 WINS. "Deer are generally very cautious animals, and we were very surprised that the deer actually fell into the manhole."

When the agency's four officers arrived, one of them -- Officer Walter Justincic -- was lowered into the manhole via a harness. He also donned a breathing mask in case the air wasn't safe to breathe.

Justincic was able to approach the baby deer and put a separate harness on the fawn, which officers said was crying but seemed otherwise fine. Three hours later, the baby deer was out of the manhole, safe above ground.

"The deer was pretty calm," said Reilly. "We got it to walk around at some points and other times it would just sit down or lie down, but pretty calm overall."

The four responding officers all posed with the deer before releasing it into the woods. The officers said the deer seemed unscathed as it ran away.

Have you ever seen animals trapped in manholes, or high in trees? Feel free to leave us your stories and anecdotes in the comments section below.