3 RivCo Teens Rescued From Mount Baldy Following Deadly Week On The Peak

SAN GABRIEL MOUNTAINS, CA — Three teens, including an injured hiker, were rescued from a Mount Baldy trail in the San Gabriel Mountains this week, authorities said. The trio was rescued a week after three other hikers died on the mountain, prompting authorities to briefly close parts of the mountain amid treacherous winter conditions.

On Monday, 18-year-old of Moreno Valley was hiking with his two friends when he slipped and fell some 20 feet off Cucamonga Peak Trail, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

The hiker was injured and unable to move, prompting his two 17-year-old friends to hike further into the mountains to find cell reception so they could call for help. Along the way, however, the pair became lost.

Members of the department's Aviation Division responded to the area, but the helicopter crew wasn't able to rescue the hikers due to weather conditions.

That's when the agency deployed a search-and-rescue team on the ground to climb toward the hikers. When weather conditions cleared up, a helicopter crew returned and hoisted the 18-year-old to safety.

As for the other two teenage hikers, they were rescued on Tuesday morning in the Lytle Creek side of the mountain and reunited with their waiting family members.

One member of the sheriff's rescue crew sustained minor injuries during the operation, the agency said.

READ MORE: 1 Of 3 Hikers Who Fell To Their Death From Mount Baldy ID'd

In late December, 19-year-old Marcus Alexander Muench Casanova of Seal Beach fell 500 feet to his death from Devil's Backbone trail area. Two other hikers believed to have fallen on the same day also died — Juan Sarat Lopez, 37, and Bayron Pedro Ramos Garvia, 36.

Dozens of rescues are conducted each year on Mt. Baldy. Sadly, some operations are unsuccessful, and death is not uncommon on the peak.

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• Body Of Missing Woman Found On Mt. Baldy
• Missing Actor Julian Sands' Body Found Near Mount Baldy

In response to inclement weather and the three hikers' deaths, the U.S. Forest Service on issued a temporary closure order of Mount Baldy's peak just over one week ago.

"The tragic loss of life on Mt. Baldy and repeated rescue responses highlight how dangerous current conditions are, even for experienced hikers," San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said Tuesday. "Weather and terrain conditions remain extremely dangerous and unpredictable, posing a significant risk to both the public and Search and Rescue personnel."