Heartbreaking moment 19-year-old daredevil finds himself trapped under California’s tallest bridge while attempting a social media stunt over 730 feet in height.
- A 19-year-old was rescued after hanging from California’s highest bridge Monday night while filming a stunt.
- The teen attempted to pull himself up onto the rope, which was 30 feet long, according to a Facebook post from the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.
- The teen was not injured during the incident, law enforcement said.
A 19-year-old had to be rescued after becoming stuck in the air, hanging from a California bridge more than 700 feet above the ground in Placer County.
Law enforcement officials shared a post Tuesday detailing the rescue in which the teen who was filming a stunt on the Foresthill Bridge in Sacramento had to be rescued.
According to a Facebook post, the teen’s equipment broke down while he was swinging from the tallest bridge in California and the fourth tallest in the United States.
“He was in that harness for probably an hour and fifteen before we were able to get him up and off him,” said Nolan Hale of the California Department of Forestry and Fire.
The teen was not injured but was “pretty shaken up,” Hale said. The 19-year-old and his 17-year-old friend who was recording received citations for trespassing.
A 19-year-old had to be rescued after becoming stuck in the air, hanging from a California bridge more than 700 feet above the ground in Placer County.
This is the Foresthill Bridge in Sacramento from where the teenager hung himself.
According to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, the rescue occurred Monday evening around 6:30 p.m. when the 17-year-old called to report his friend was swinging.
More than two dozen first responders from the local sheriff’s office and Cal Fire responded to the scene to assist in the rescue effort.
During their initial investigation, they discovered the 19-year-old was swinging from below the bridge for a recorded stunt.
During filming, the teen became trapped approximately 30 feet below the walkway and more than 700 feet above the ground.
A terrifying photo accompanying the post shows the unidentified teenager hanging from a 30-foot rope as a rescuer tries to pull him up.
Nearly a dozen additional people in the photo are standing on the podium surveying the situation and standing ready to assist in the rescue.
Eventually, the group was able to get the teenager to his feet and he was examined for injuries at the scene, but there were no obvious injuries.
“CALFIRE TRT and PCSO SAR did an exceptional job saving this young man’s life,” the Placer County Sheriff’s Office wrote in its post.
In his speech, law enforcement took the opportunity to remind other daredevils that they will have to find another bridge in the future.
“REMINDER: It is ILLEGAL to enter Foresthill Bridge,” the message read.
That’s the message shared by the Placer County Sheriff’s Department early Tuesday morning.
The bridge is the fourth tallest of its kind in the United States
The Foresthill Bridge was featured in Vin Diesel’s 2002 action film “XXX”. In the film, the actor leaves the bridge in his car and jumps
According to Hale, Monday’s shutdown was the first of its kind in three decades.
“This is the first actual rescue incident in the last 30 years,” Hale told CBS.
“Someone hanging 700 feet above the American River is a high-risk operation with a vertical rope rescue,” the official said.
Foresthill Bridge, located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, is certainly no stranger to death-defying waterfalls.
The Northern California Bridge was featured in the 2002 action film “XXX.”
In the film, Vin Diesel’s character drives his car off the bridge while engaging in a chase with police before jumping out of the car and deploying a parachute.