Feb. 16 (UPI) — A man who went missing from a ski trip in New York state — and ended up in Northern California — has returned home.
Constantinos Filippidis, 49, went missing from Whiteface Mountain the Adirondacks earlier this month. He was next found in Sacramento, Calif., after a six-day search.
Filippidis, a Toronto firefighter, was last seen Feb. 7 at Whiteface Mountain Ski Resort in Wilmington, N.Y. He turned up in the rental car area of Sacramento International Airport on Tuesday, officials said.
The 49-year-old man is back in New York, but it’s still unclear why or how he disappeared and turned up 2,500 miles away.
Deionte Gordon, a Dollar Thrifty employee told KCRA-TV he saw Filippidis in the rental concourse, and that “he didn’t know where he was or how he got there.”
At the airport, Filippidis was still wearing his ski coat, boots, and was carrying his ski helmet. He had a credit card and cellphone, but no ID.
Filippidis told authorities he arrived in Sacramento as a passenger on a semi-truck, but didn’t recall details about the driver or truck type. He also said he believes he’d suffered a head injury.
The skier was checked at a hospital and found to be uninjured. Authorities said they plan to interview Filippidis more to determine what happened.
The search involved more than 100 people — including forest rangers, representatives from state and federal agencies and volunteers.
