Deputies, park rangers, volunteers and a sheriff's helicopter crew helped rescue a pair of hikers, from Texas and Arizona, who got lost Sunday near the Palm Springs Aerial Tram in the San Jacinto Mountains, a sheriff's sergeant said.
Deputies were dispatched to the Tram about 3:55 p.m. Sept. 8 when a man called 9-1-1 and gave a general description of his location before his phone battery died, Sgt. Mike Portillo of the sheriff's Cabazon Station said in a statement.
The hikers, identified as 62-year-old Alejandro Escobedo of Austin and 50-year-old Tracey Pomeroy of Tempe, reported they strayed from their hiking trail and became lost, Portillo said.
"Initially, Escobedo was able to dial 911 and gave dispatchers an idea of where they were; however, his cellphone battery ran out of charge," Portillo said.
A sheriff's helicopter crew located the lost hikers about 6:13 p.m. and advised them to stay where they were so the helicopter crew could refuel and return, Portillo said.
"Due to the area where they were located and due to nightfall, it was necessary that Sheriff's Aviation airlift the hikers to the bottom of the mountain," Portillo said. "The hikers were returned to the bottom uninjured."
Members of the sheriff's Emergency Response Team, the National State Parks Services and the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit assisted with the rescue.
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