Emaciated Homeless Man Rescued From Bel Air Ravine

Los Angeles CA

26 August, 2021

1:42 AM

Description

LOS ANGELES, CA — An emaciated homeless man was airlifted from a Bel Air Ravine Wednesday night weakened and starving after being stranded in the dense brush for days without food or water, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The man was taken to a hospital, where he was listed in serious condition. The man was so hidden by the brush that rescuers almost missed him. The man had been in the area for several days, possibly up to a week, without food or water, according to the LAFD. He was so emaciated that he required support from paramedics to stand and be put on a stretcher to be airlifted to safety. The man was rescued after a resident living near 2415 Nalin Drive heard his calls for help. The resident called police at about 4:30 to report the cries coming from the brush 500 feet away, said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department. However, the brush was so thick, Los Angeles Police Department ground and air units searched the area for any sign of a person in distress, but could not find him. LAFD helicopters were called in to assist the search, Humphrey said. A paramedic was lowered into the brush to look for the source of the calls for help and found the man lying in the brush in a ravine after about 40 minutes of searching. The area the man was found in was so thick with brush that the paramedic would not have been able to find him if he was not moving, Humphrey said. Authorities didn't know how the man got trapped in the brush. Humphrey said it was possible the man was living in the ravine, but LAFD units did not find an encampment belonging to the man in the area. His name was not released, though the LAFD said he was in his 40's. City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.