Well-respected Crawford (N.Y.) Police Department Sgt. Eric Meier died Thursday afternoon after suffering a medical emergency on the job, state police said, reports the Times Herald-Record.

Meier, 51, and a fellow Crawford officer were investigating a tip that someone was growing marijuana back in a section of fields and woods on old farmland accessible only by a dirt road when he fell ill, said State Police Senior Investigator Patrick Beyea.

Meier's partner called 911, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The Circleville Fire Department and the Town of Wallkill Highway Department had to move boulders and trees so the ambulance could reach Meier.

Meier was a good-natured, beloved figure in the town, a man deeply involved in his community. He was a police officer in Crawford for more than 25 years, said Chief Dominic Blasko.

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, Meier died of a heart attack. He is survived by his wife and two sons.