Hikers report being threatened by naked man deep in national forest, NH cops say

Hikers visiting the nearly 800,000-acre White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire report they were confronted by a naked hiker, according to the N.H. Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division.

It happened around 5:50 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20, at a shelter known as Zealand Falls Hut, 11 miles southeast of Bethlehem, officials said in a news release.

Witnesses told authorities the man was not only naked, but was threatening hikers at the shelter, which is managed by the Appalachian Mountain Club.

“When the officers arrived they located a highly agitated naked male on the roof of the AMC Zealand Hut,” division officials said.

“The officers spent over an hour deescalating the situation and attempting to get the male off the roof. Officers were eventually able to ... escort him back to the Zealand Trailhead parking lot arriving at 10 p.m.”

The 35-year-old man was from Boylston, Mass., about 156 miles north of the shelter site.

“(He) was arrested and charges are pending. No hikers at the hut were injured,” officials said.

This story was originally published August 22, 2022 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Hikers report being threatened by naked man deep in national forest, NH cops say."