Full Notification

Two Temple City men were air-lifted to safety by a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department rescue helicopter Friday evening, after one nearly fell off a cliff in Altadena.

At about 4:00PM, a 22-year old man was hiking with his 21-year old friend in the Angeles National Forest when the 22-year old man fell from the hiking path down the mountainside, and close to the edge of a cliff. The two men are Asian-Americans from Temple City.

The injured man used his cell phone to call the desk at Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Station and connected with Watch Deputy Steve Toly. Deputy Toly spoke to the man for about 15 minutes until the phone connection was lost. During their conversation, sheriff's Air-5 rescue helicopter was called to the scene, along with Altadena Sheriff's Station and Search and Rescue ground personnel.

Deputy Toly talked with the man to keep him calm, determine his location so he could direct rescuers to him, and estimate how much danger he was in.

The victim explained he had fallen from the hiking trail an unknown distance, and was hanging onto a bush to keep from falling off a cliff. He said he could not see his friend, but he could hear him as they shouted to one another a distance away. He could also hear a helicopter far away.

The victim explained that the two men had just gone for a day hike. They did not have backpacks, food or water, or warm clothing. He said he was injured, but didn't know the extent of his injuries. Deputy Toly said, "He said he was in pain and was worried he was going to go over the side of the cliff, but he did a great job of remaining calm. He is very lucky his cell phone worked in that area."

Having determined the approximate location of the two men, Sheriff's Air-5 Rescue helicopter deputies responded to the 2200 block of Pine Crest Avenue, Altadena, approximately two miles up Eaton Canyon, in the Angeles National Forest.

Deputies hurried to find the two men, as the sun was going down and it was quickly getting dark.

By about 4:30PM, Air-5 rescue helicopter deputies found the two men, one of whom was clinging to a ledge approximately 500 feet above the base of a waterfall, unable to move. A Sheriff's Emergency Services Detail (ESD) paramedic was lowered from the helicopter and hoisted both men into the aircraft. They were treated by ESD paramedics and subsequently transported to an area hospital for additional medical treatment. They are being treated for non-life threatening injuries.

The Air-5 Rescue helicopters, eight Search and Rescue teams, and Emergency Services Detail paramedics of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department conduct over 350 rescue missions annually, making it one of the most active counties for search and rescue missions in the nation.

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Captain Mike Parker
Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
(323) 267-4800
www.lasd.org


Leroy D. Baca, Sheriff
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department