SANTA PAULA : 2 Hikers Found Safe by Sheriff’s Rescue Team
Two hikers reported lost overnight near Santa Paula were found safe Saturday morning by a Ventura County sheriff’s search-and-rescue team, authorities said.
Angel Rivas, 19, of Port Hueneme and Frank Jaramillo, 19, of Oxnard spent the night in the mountainous area after becoming separated from a group of friends during a day hike Friday in the Punch Bowl area north of Santa Paula, sheriff’s deputies said.
A sheriff’s helicopter and rescue workers scoured the region throughout the night before spotting the men about 7 a.m. Saturday. Neither hiker was injured.
“They’re maybe a little chilly and maybe a little hungry,” said Lt. Gary Markley. “But they’re fine.”
The two hikers, part of a group of five friends, stopped to rest during the hike, while their companions hiked out of the area to their vehicle. After waiting for Rivas and Jaramillo for an hour and then searching in vain for them, the friends notified sheriff’s deputies that the pair was lost.
“They stopped to rest and when they started out again, they went the wrong direction, plain and simple,” Markley said.
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