Thursday, November 10, 2016

Mountain Biker Rescued in Arroyo Windsor Area Near JPL

Members of the Altadena Mountain Rescue Team assisted in the rescue of a 41-year-old Rancho Cucamonga resident who went missing last night while biking on a trail near the Arroyo-Windsor area just north of the debris basin in the Arroyo Seco.

The man was rescued just past 8:45 Thursday morning, Deputy Dan Paige of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Altadena Station said.

“He had last spoken to his wife at half past midnight saying he had lost his way but was back on the trail again and everything was okay,” Paige said. “Morning time comes and he’s not home, so the wife became worried. The hiker’s brother contacted us at 6:11 in the morning, we sent out crews, talked with him and found he could be in the Arroyo Windsor area near the JPL, and we set out search teams on foot.”

The team called LASD’s Air Rescue 5 to search the area, and advised other mountain bikers who were familiar with the trail to look out for the missing biker.

Air Rescue 5 finally spotted the biker at about 8:45 a.m., Paige said. The rescue helicopter lowered a paramedic to check him out, and finding no injuries, lifted him out of the forest and landed him near the command post where his wife was waiting.

Paige said the biker had built a small fire to keep himself warm through the night.

“He was prepared; he had a little backpack with some extra food, water and something to make a fire with,” Paige said. “What happened was he was in the darkness and the trail was a little overgrown, so he got lost. We basically picked him up just north of the debris basin in the Arroyo Seco. Other than a few minor scratches on his bike, nothing serious, he was okay.”

The whole rescue took a little over three hours after AMRT received the call.