Setauket Man Shares His Story of Survival at Caleb Smith State Park

Dr. Jerome Nadler of Setauket recalled feeling dehydrated and sitting down to drink a Diet Coke during his Labor Day fly-fishing outing at Caleb Smith State Park, according to a report published Monday by CBS New York.

And, according to the report, that's the last thing Nadler said he remembers before waking up in a thicket of brambles. For three days he had to survive as search parties combed the park and surrounding areas. He could move, but not stand, and suffered a wound to his elbow as he tried to move by pushing himself on it.

"It rained on one or two days and I remember cupping my mouth and trying to collect as much rainwater as I could. That’s one thing that I did to try and survive," Nadler, 76, told CBS New York.

At Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was taken Thursday after a police dog and his handlers found him, a spokesman said Monday that his health is now in .

Click here to read the full report from CBS New York.