Elderly Centerport man rescued after days under rubble in his own home

An elderly man was rescued Saturday from his Centerport home after being stuck and unable to move for four days.Police say 64-year-old Charles Ruoff was pinned under a pile of rubble inside of his East

News 12 Staff

Dec 10, 2006, 3:55 AM

Updated 6,482 days ago

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An elderly man was rescued Saturday from his Centerport home after being stuck and unable to move for four days.Police say 64-year-old Charles Ruoff was pinned under a pile of rubble inside of his East Main Street home. Assistant Chief Robert Ciafardoni says the house was completely fallen apart inside. He says there was no floor, only a temporary staircase and a temporary platform. The ceiling and the roof were caved in from a tree that had fallen on the house. After navigating through the rubble, rescuers were able to get the Ruoff out from under a pile of debris. He was then taken to the hospital, suffering slight hypothermia and dehydration.Ciafardoni says the house is set back far from the street, and that may be the reason no one was aware the man was stuck inside. Town supervisor Frank Petrone says now that the town is aware of the problems, social services will find emergency housing for Ruoff. Police are also trying to locate any family members.