Laguna Hills : Man Survives Fall From 60-Foot Catalina Cliff

Rescuers found a 20-year-old Laguna Hills man “delirious” but alive Friday with numerous scrapes and bruises and a broken arm three days after he fell from a 60-foot cliff on Santa Catalina Island.

Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy Jim Henry said Michael Ambrose was last seen alone Tuesday afternoon headed for the rugged Palisades area on the island’s northeast tip. “A tour bus had left him off and he told people he was going hiking alone,” Henry said.

He was reported missing Thursday night by co-workers, who contacted the sheriff’s rescue team, Henry said. Ambrose had been on the island about 30 days, and was employed by the Santa Catalina Island Co., a tourist firm. It was not until Friday morning that sheriff’s deputies learned Ambrose had gone hiking in the Palisades area.

Henry said nearly 20 rescuers, including two helicopters and a patrol boat, scoured a 6-by-8-mile area. Ambrose was found about 5 p.m. at the bottom of a steep canyon, wearing only walking shorts.

“He was very dehydrated and scraped up,” Henry said, adding that the young hiker had suffered a severe bump on the head, a broken left arm near the wrist and scrapes on the left side of his body.

Ambrose was airlifted to Long Beach Memorial Hospital, where he was reported in fair condition.