Palmdale Man Rescued After Falling Into Swimming Hole
An 18-year-old man was rescued from a swimming hole in Angeles National Forest early Monday morning after falling nearly 20 feet into the water Sunday night.
The 250-pound Palmdale teenager was climbing up a 20-foot cliff sometime before 8 p.m. Sunday when the rope broke, said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Bill Bell.
He was uninjured, but wasn’t able to get out of the swimming hole, a popular gathering spot for teenagers that sits in a remote box canyon off Lake Hughes Road, Bell said.
Two friends ran for help, and the man was lifted out about 2:30 a.m. with a mechanical hoist. The rescue operation involved more than 40 firefighters and rescue workers.
At least one youth has died jumping into the same swimming hole, Bell said, and many others have been injured.
“It’s definitely a hazardous location, and the remoteness makes it worse,” Bell said.
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