Flash Flood in Creek Kills Hiker From Yorba Linda

A 35-year-old hiker who drowned in a flash flood during the weekend as he tried to cross a creek in the San Bernardino Mountains was identified by authorities Sunday as Michael Kreidt of Yorba Linda.

San Bernardino County sheriff’s officials said Kreidt was swept away by a four-foot wall of water when he tried to ford a creek at Forest Falls, a remote gorge about 20 miles east of Yucaipa.

Another man, who was not identified, was also swept away in the flood but was quickly rescued by friends. Sheriff’s Sgt. Mo Brickely said Kreidt was on a day hike with about 17 friends and family members when the accident occurred just after 2 p.m. Saturday.

Authorities said the flash flood was generated by light rain that had been falling on the higher elevations of the mountain range for several days.

Because the conditions for a flash flood were present Saturday, rescue crews on foot and in helicopters were already searching the forest for stranded hikers when they received a call about Kreidt.

The rescue involved the county Sheriff’s Department, the county Fire Department and the U.S. Forestry Service. But soon after authorities arrived, the victim’s body was spotted under the water, pinned near a rock. It took three hours before the body was recovered.

Before the flash flood, authorities said the water was fairly shallow and it should not have been a difficult place to cross.

Family members, including Kreidt’s wife and two young children, who were gathered at Kreidt’s home in Yorba Linda on Sunday declined to comment. Kreidt’s friends and neighbors near his former home in Placentia said they were asked by the family not to talk to reporters.

Sheriff’s officials said there had been a flash flood warning in the San Bernardino Mountains for several days. Sunday, authorities said there were several other flash flood incidents reported in which the water surged between four and seven feet.

In another incident Saturday, a group of hikers, including five children, were stranded on a knoll in a forest picnic area as the water rose around them. A sheriff’s deputy reached the group by placing a ladder over the stream. No one was injured, police said.

Times staff writer Dave Lesher contributed to this story.