(KRON) – A man who fell from a cliff at a park near the San Francisco Bay was rescued by a helicopter crew with the local sheriff’s office on Sunday.
The victim, who had tumbled from a cliffside at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, was “clinging to the gravel rock face” when officers in the helicopter unit Henry-1 located him with thermal-imaging cameras on Sunday night, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook.
The helicopter had been requested by the Southern Marin Fire District, who alerted the sheriff’s office of the incident.
Footage from the rescue shows the man, who was not identified by police, gripping the cliffside when a tactical officer was lowered to the area with a rescue apparatus.
“Don’t let go, OK? Don’t let go!” the officer can be heard telling the man, before placing his arms into the harness one by one.
The helicopter then lifts both men into the air.
“I got you, brother,” the officer can be heard telling the man.
The helicopter deposits both men at the top of the cliff, where fire officials were waiting to perform a medical evaluation.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office later said the man had fallen from a cliff near the Battery Alexander trail, tumbling around “50–60 feet down,” according to the Facebook post.
The office did not detail the extent of the victim’s injuries, though the video appeared to show cuts and abrasions on his feet and ankles.
On Facebook, social media users praised the officers for their conduct during the rescue.
“He must had been terrified,” one user wrote, adding, “the officer’s calming voice was reassuring.”
“My oh my!!! What an amazing rescue!” another wrote. “I could just feel that poor soul’s fear and terror!”
The Battery Alexander Trailhead at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a half-mile trail allowing access to two former gun batteries at the park. Visitors are advised to stay along the established trail, as “cliffs along the bluffs can be unstable and hazardous,” according to the National Park Service.
