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Second Missing Teenage Hiker Rescued In Trabuco Canyon

Max Meyer |
April 4, 2013 | 2:52 p.m. PDT

Executive Producer

 

Cleveland National Forest (althepal, Creative Commons)
Cleveland National Forest (althepal, Creative Commons)
The second missing teenage hiker in California was successfully rescued Thursday afternoon. 18-year-old Kyndall Jack was found in Trabuco Canyon after a passerby heard her screaming for help. Jack was airlifted to UC Irvine Medical Hospital and is being treated for there. Authorities say that she is responsive, but that she is also dehydrated and weak. 

During the rescue however, a volunteer reserve deputy aiding in the effort suffered a head injury after he fell 60 feet. Orange Country Sheriff's Lieutenant Jason Park said that the deputy's injury was "serious" and that he was transported to a local hospital. 

Jack's 19-year-old friend, Nicholas Cendoya, was found late Wednesday afternoon. Cendoya was rushed to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, and currently is in stable condition. However, he was unable to tell authorities when he last saw Jack. 

The teenagers had called 911 on Sunday night after they got lost hiking in the Cleveland National Forest. However, before authorities could track Jack and Cendoya from a GPS tracking signal, their cell phone battery died. They were stranded in the forest for several days with limited resources. 

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Both of the hikers are college students. Cendoya attends Orange Coast College, while Jack is starting her freshman year at Cal State Fullerton. Both teenagers are from Costa Mesa, and their families are thankful that they were rescued. 

"We just want to thank God, and we're very happy," said Patricia Sanchez, who is Cendoya's cousin. "Thank you very much to everybody that volunteered and helped out."

 

Reach Executive Producer Max Meyer by email, or follow him on Twitter.



 

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