Park Scuffle Spooks Horses, Prompts Police Search

A scuffle in Hempstead Lake State Park Wednesday afternoon caused a young rider to be thrown off a horse and led police on an aerial search for the two men involved.

"They were fighting with branches," said Alex Jacobson, the owner of Lakewood Stables in West Hempstead, which uses the park's bridle paths for trail rides. "One was beating the other with a branch about the size of a baseball bat."

When a group of six riders from the stable's summer camp came upon the scene on the "Indian Trail" that runs between the park's two lakes, the sight spooked their horses. As the animals quickly turned to shy away from the brawl, one young rider fell off. Fortunately, the boy did not sustain any major injuries.

"It wasn't anything serious," Jacobson added. "He landed on his elbow, but he got back on the horse and stayed in camp for the rest of the day."

New York State Park and Nassau County Police both responded to calls from witnesseses who observed the two young men, described as Hispanic and in their 20s or 30s, fighting in the park. Nassau Police conducted a helicopter search over the park. Soon after, authorities were able to locate one of the men, but he was not taken into custody.

"He was escorted out of the park and told not to come back," Jacobson added.

"It was an unfounded report of assault," Sgt. Bergman of the New York State Police said.

A police officer for Nassau County's Fifth Precinct added,"They were just horsing around."