A hiker who was reported missing was found safe Tuesday in the Angeles National Forest, officials announced.
Search teams were deployed in the Mount Waterman area of the San Gabriel Mountains immediately after hiker Rene Compean was reported missing around 6 p.m. Monday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
“They were worried for the missing hiker since it was getting dark and cold,” the department stated.
Compean’s friend had called the Sheriff’s Department to report him missing after getting a text from the hiker saying he was lost and his cellphone was almost out of battery. Compean had sent a picture to that friend earlier in the hike, showing his dirt-covered legs hanging down a mountain as he sat.
Crews continued to search throughout the night without success, and a new team was assembled early Tuesday morning to continue the hunt.
Compean did not have his phone’s location services turned on, so rescue teams were unable to get his location code from the photo he sent his friend. However, authorities shared the photo with media and on social media platforms hoping someone would recognize the area pictured.
An avid hiker of the Angeles National Forest who knew of the area seen in the photo communicated the location to rescue teams, the department said.
A sheriff’s helicopter then started to look for Compean in the area of Twin Peaks East and Triplet Rocks.
Through Tuesday’s heavy fog, crews were able to locate the hiker safely around 3:45 p.m. and airlift him back.
