A volunteer firefighter, Jordan Seidhom, was threatened with arrest while using his helicopter to rescue Hurricane Helene victims, including an elderly couple stranded in Lake Lure, North Carolina.
Seidhom, a former police officer and dedicated volunteer firefighter, had been flying his helicopter to reach those isolated by the storm, stepping in where official rescue efforts were struggling. However, midway through the rescue mission on Sunday, a senior official from the local fire department warned Seidhom that he faced arrest for continuing his life-saving efforts without authorization.
Jordan Seidhom successfully landed his two-seater helicopter in a parking lot after rescuing Susan Coffey from her home, while leaving his son, Landon, with her husband, Michael, at their isolated property.
His plan was to shuttle Susan to safety first and then return for Landon and Michael in three separate trips. However, before Seidhom could complete the mission, a fire department official allegedly intervened, threatening to arrest him if he continued the rescue operation, Seidhom has claimed.
In an interview with WJZY, Jordan Seidhom recounted landing his helicopter in a parking lot after noticing a group of first responders nearby. Upon landing, he was approached by a fire chief who provided radio frequencies for coordinating rescue efforts. Seidhom said the conversation initially seemed like an opportunity to work together, but tensions soon escalated when the official later threatened him with arrest if he continued his rescue missions.
Seidhom recalled the encounter, saying, “In the middle of the conversation, I was approached by the Lake Lure fire chief, or possibly the assistant chief, and he shut down the whole operation.”
According to Seidhom, the official told him, “If you have that kind of experience, you should be coordinating with us,” effectively halting Seidhom’s independent rescue efforts despite his initial success in reaching those stranded by the storm. While attempting to explain that he had already been coordinating with law enforcement and rescue teams, Seidhom asked how he could stay in touch with the local fire department.
Though he confirmed the identity of the senior firefighter to WJZY, Seidhom chose not to disclose the man’s name. DailyMail.com is currently working to verify the official’s identity.
Seidhom was then ordered to leave the area and not return. However, he explained to the official that he still needed to fly back to retrieve his son and Michael, as his helicopter could only transport one person at a time.
Seidhom recounted the tense exchange, saying, “He told me I wasn’t going back up the mountain to get them, that I was going to leave them there.”
When Seidhom asked for an explanation, the fire official responded, “You’re interfering with my operation.” The confrontation escalated when the official warned, “If you turn around and go back up the mountain, you’re going to be arrested.”
Determined to retrieve his son, Seidhom replied, “Well, sir, I’m going back to get my copilot [his son], I don’t know what to tell you.” The fire official then called over two law enforcement officers, who also threatened Seidhom with arrest if he returned to complete the rescue mission.
After explaining his situation again, one of the officers admitted uncertainty, saying he “didn’t know what to do” if Seidhom defied the warning and continued flying.
Seidhom worried that further pressure from the fire official would result in his arrest and leave his son stranded on the mountain with the elderly man, decided to comply. He was instructed to fly to a nearby county airport and wait for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to meet with him.
Reluctantly, Seidhom returned to his helicopter, picked up his son, and informed Michael that he couldn’t continue the rescue due to the risk of being arrested. The fire officials assured Seidhom that they would be able to rescue Michael within a few hours, though for him, it would have been a quick three-minute flight.
Seidhom and his son then waited at Rutherford County Airport for three hours, awaiting the FAA. Reflecting on the situation, Seidhom said, “I did leave the Rutherford Airport. I knew at that point he had no jurisdiction.”
He added, “I was legal in what I was doing, and I was following all FAA and airspace guidelines. I was on private property.”
Arrest Threat During Rescue Mission
Thirty minutes after the arrest threat, authorities imposed a temporary flight restriction over Lake Lure, the exact area where Seidhom and the fire official had faced off. Seidhom believes this action, which forced him and other pilots out of the rescue zone, put more lives at risk.
Lives at Risk as Rescues Halted
“There were other victims. As we were flying out, we saw people within 300-400 yards of their location, waving for help because the rescue teams couldn’t reach them,” Seidhom explained. “I can only imagine what those people were thinking after being stranded for 24 or 36 hours. Seeing a helicopter fly over, only to leave them behind, must have been devastating.”
Reflecting on the situation, he added, “If I had to do it over again, I would have stopped and rescued as many people as possible, even if it meant getting arrested.”
Previous Success: Two Flood Victims Saved
Before Sunday’s confrontation, Seidhom and his son Landon had successfully rescued two flood victims from an Airbnb.
Later, Michael Coffey, the man Seidhom was unable to save in time, shared on social media that he had to swim across a river to safety. Fortunately, he, his wife, and their cat Cleo are now safe.
