Crime & Safety
Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Teams Find Missing Bikers
Sheriff's office says the four mountain bikers are all OK after missing overnight in the Angeles National Forest.
By City News Service
Search and rescue teams found four mountain bikers missing overnight in the Angeles National Forest Monday, police said.
"They were found in Bear Canyon this morning and they are all OK," said Sgt. Burton Brink of the sheriffs' Crescenta Valley station. "I was told they made a wrong turn and got lost."
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Christopher McCarthy, Caesar Fierro, Paul Montero and Mauricio Busquet, all cousins 28-38, were identified by ABC7. The four men were reunited with family members this morning after being found by search and rescue teams, Brink said.
"They were found by Sierra Madre search and rescue teams that were hiking up Bear Canyon and not by the helicopters," Brink said. "The bikers were hiking down Bear Canyon at the time, and the two groups ran into each other about 9 a.m.
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"There were no injuries," Brink said. "They all hiked down to Switzer Campground after the two groups met and then were driven back to their cars. After that," he said, "they were followed down by the searchers to meet with their family members who were anxiously waiting to see them."
McCarthy told Channel 7, "We just took a wrong turn and basically got completely lost in the middle of nowhere in the Angeles National Forest. We kept going further and we were given misinformation by some people. We never mountain biked this trail before."
He said he had wanted to leave the bikes at the Bear campground and try to hike out before the sun went down, but the group decided to stay in the campground overnight and build a fire to stay warm.
"It was the right decision," he said.
The four started their ride on Mount Wilson about 10 a.m. Sunday and planned to return to their cars at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory "Windsor turnout" by 3 p.m., sheriff's Sgt. David Shoemaker said.
"They didn't show and their family found their cars. They had no contact, no phones, and they weren't dressed for a cold night outdoors," Shoemaker said.
As many as 24 searchers were out all night looking for the bikers. The temperatures in the area dropped into the mid 40s overnight, which would be uncomfortable but not too bad, Shoemaker said.