2 California hikers rescued after being stranded on snowy mountain for 3 days
River County Sheriff’s Aviation Unit
(IDYLLWILD, Calif.) — Two hikers who were stranded for three days after falling down a snowy cliff were rescued on Monday near Idyllwild, California, the Riverside Sheriff Aviation Unit said in a statement Tuesday.
The climbers — one man and one woman — were traveling along the Tahquitz Mountain trail on March 1 when they suddenly plummeted approximately 800 feet down a snowy cliff, located about 8,900 feet above Idyllwild, California, according to officials.
The hikers called 911, stating they were “injured badly and needed help,” officials said. A helicopter was sent to rescue the two individuals, but due to 45 mph winds, rescuers failed in their attempt.
Helicopters from Cal Fire and the Orange County Fire Authority also attempted to hoist the victims out, but “all were unsuccessful due to low clouds and high winds.”
Authorities said volunteers from Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit were able to locate the male and female hikers on the ground that first night.
Then, on the second day, “several attempts” were again made, but helicopters were “unsuccessful due to mountain obscuration and high turbulence surface winds.” The hikers had to endure temperatures as low as 15 degrees Fahrenheit that night, accompanied by persistent snow, officials said.
Finally, on the third day, the “weather and wind calmed just enough” and the hikers were successfully hoisted out via helicopter, officials said. The man, “who was the most severely injured,” was rescued first and flown to Desert Regional Medical Center for treatment, followed by the woman, officials said.
Body camera video capturing the rescue shows the snowy conditions officials had to deal with while saving the two stranded individuals.
“Many thanks to all those ground crews that were involved as well as all the helicopter crews who were involved in the rescue,” the aviation unit said in a statement.
Along with the helicopters, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said on social media that over 20 mountain team rescuers hiked to save these injured victims, who “most definitely would have died from exposure to the elements.”
“This was a very long and coordinated effort with amazing partners and volunteers. Outstanding job by all,” Bianco said on social media.
(NEW YORK) — At least 26 states are under alerts for snow, ice and flooding as three winter storms cross the country over the next few days.
The first storm is moving into the Ohio River Valley on Tuesday with snow coming down from Paducah, Kentucky, to Evansville, Indiana; as well as in Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky.
A winter storm warning has been issued from Louisville to Atlantic City, New Jersey, including Washington, D.C. An ice storm warning is in effect for parts of West Virginia.
This winter storm will move out of Ohio Valley and into the Mid-Atlantic states by early afternoon Tuesday, reaching D.C. between noon and 1 p.m.
Total snow accumulation will be around 3 to 5 inches in Louisville and the Ohio River Valley, about 3 to 6 inches in Washington, D.C., proper and 4 to 8 inches possible south and west of D.C.
Snow will be light further north, with only 2 to 3 inches possible in Philadelphia and possibly 1 to 2 inches in New York City. New England should miss this storm system completely.
Further south, a flood watch has been issued from Texas to Georgia as heavy rain could cause flash flooding.
Second storm
The second storm will develop over the Rockies and the Plains later Tuesday, with a heavy swath of snow spreading north into the Great Lakes.
Snow is forecast from Denver all the way to Chicago and Detroit, where winter storm watches and warnings have been issued.
The snow will spread into Kansas City, Missouri, early Wednesday morning. The steady snow will reach Chicago late Wednesday morning into the afternoon.
The storm system will reach the East Coast by Wednesday evening with a wintry mix that will turn to rain from D.C. to New York City and Boston.
Further inland, several inches of snow are possible from the Catskill Mountains in New York to the Green and White mountains in New England.
This storm will also bring heavy rain across the South, with flash flooding possible from Louisiana to western North Carolina.
Third storm
The third storm is still in the Pacific Ocean, but it will begin to bring rain to the West Coast on Wednesday morning, including in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The core of the storm will move into California on Wednesday night into Thursday morning with very heavy rain for the San Francisco Bay area.
The heaviest rain will begin to move into Los Angeles and Southern California starting Thursday morning and will last into Thursday evening.
A flood watch has been issued for California, including Los Angeles. Flash flooding, mudslides, landslides and rockslides are expected by Thursday and Friday.
The storm will cross the Rockies on Friday and will move into the Midwest with more heavy snow by Saturday morning.
By Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning, rain and snow will reach the East Coast. This storm looks more wet than white for the Interstate 95 corridor.
Bitter Cold
Ten states from Washington to Wisconsin are under cold weather alerts Tuesday morning, including an extreme cold warning from Montana to Minnesota — where wind chills could drop as low as 55 below zero through Thursday morning.
Record cold temperatures are forecast from Washington to Montana over the next few days.
The unseasonably cold weather will spill into the Northeast by early next week, with temperatures 10 to 15 degrees below normal.
(NEW ORLEANS) — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will head to New Orleans on Monday to meet with the families and community members impacted by the devastating truck attack that killed 14 and injured dozens, the White House said.
The suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, drove a pickup truck onto a sidewalk and around a parked police car serving as a barricade to plow into pedestrians over a three-block stretch on Bourbon Street early on New Year’s Day, police said.
Jabbar then exited the damaged vehicle armed with an assault rifle and opened fire on police officers, law enforcement said. Officers returned fire, killing Jabbar. At least two officers were injured, authorities said.
FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia called the attack a premeditated “act of terrorism” but said there was no additional threat to the public.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security has issued a joint intelligence bulletin warning the nation’s 18,000 law-enforcement agencies about potential copycats, ABC News learned. The bulletin was sent out of an abundance of caution to sensitize law enforcement around the country to be on the lookout for any activity pointing to the use of vehicles as a method to inflict mass casualties, sources told ABC News.
“We advise federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government and law enforcement officials and private sector security partners to remain vigilant of potential copycat or retaliatory attacks inspired by this attack and other recent, lethal vehicle-ramming incidents across the globe,” the bulletin said.
The bulletin notes that ISIS has been promoting the use of vehicles as a terrorism weapon since around 2014.
Sources told ABC News that ISIS has ramped up calls for its supporters to launch low-tech, mass casualty ramming attacks in recent months, especially since the most recent Israel-Hamas conflict began in October 2023.
Jabbar, a 42-year-old Army veteran and U.S.-born citizen from Texas, drove from Houston to New Orleans on Tuesday evening and posted several videos online “proclaiming his support for ISIS,” and mentioning he joined ISIS before this summer, Raia said.
The bulletin stated that Jabbar was inspired by ISIS but that there remains no evidence of any co-conspirators. A senior law-enforcement official told ABC News that there is so far no sign of ISIS claiming responsibility for the New Orleans attack.
“Law enforcement should be aware that in many cases attackers have conducted vehicle-ramming attacks with secondary weapons and may continue the attack with edged weapons, firearms, or IEDs after the vehicle has stopped,” the bulletin said. The tactic could be “attractive” for foreign terrorist organizations and other actors due to its low complexity threshold, the warning said.
An intelligence bulletin from the New York Police Department obtained by ABC News indicated that ISIS supporters did celebrate the attack online. Violent extremists, the bulletin said, “continue to view densely populated walkways, parades, mass gatherings and other outdoor events along streets, especially during holidays, as vulnerable targets of opportunity.”
“This enduring threat underscores the criticality of pre-staged blocker cars and the deployment of other effectively configured countermeasures including heavy block, barriers and bollards,” it added.
Surveillance footage showed Jabbar placing two improvised explosive devices in coolers in the Bourbon Street area, Raia said. He had a remote detonator in the truck to set off the two devices, Biden said. Both devices were rendered safe, officials said.
Bomb-making materials have been recovered at Jabbar’s Houston home, sources confirmed to ABC News. The items found were also referred to as “precursor chemicals” by agents in the field, sources said.
Law enforcement cleared and reopened Bourbon Street on Thursday as the investigation continued. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said authorities had the “confidence” to reopen the area to the public ahead of the Sugar Bowl Thursday afternoon, which was initially scheduled for Wednesday but postponed in the wake of the attack.
“I want to reassure the public that the city of New Orleans is not only ready for game day today, but we’re ready to continue to host large-scale events in our city,” she said. “Our hearts and prayers continue to go out to the victims’ families,” Cantrell added.
There is no apparent direct connection between the New Orleans attack and Wednesday’s Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, which is also being investigated as a possible act of terror, Raia from the FBI said Thursday.
(LOUISIANA) — NFL hopeful Kyren Lacy, one of the top wide receiver prospects in this year’s draft, is wanted for negligent homicide in connection with a deadly crash in Louisiana last month, state police announced Friday.
Louisiana State Police said they have issued an arrest warrant for Lacy, 24, of Thibodaux, for allegedly leaving the scene of a fatal crash on Dec. 17.
Lacy, who played for Louisiana State University in the fall before declaring for the draft, is alleged to have been behind the wheel of a 2023 Dodge Charger when he “recklessly passed multiple vehicles at a high rate of speed by crossing the centerline and entering the northbound lane while in a designated No-Passing Zone” on Louisiana Highway 20, state police said in a press release.
The driver of a 2017 Kia Cadenza traveling north swerved to avoid hitting the Dodge, only to cross the centerline and collide head-on with a 2017 Kia Sorento. A passenger in the Kia Sorento, identified by police as 78-year-old Herman Hall of Thibodaux, died from his injuries after being transported to a hospital, authorities said.
Lacy allegedly drove around the crash scene and fled south, “without stopping to render aid, call emergency services, or report his involvement in the crash,” state police said.
In addition to negligent homicide, he is being sought for felony hit and run and reckless operation of a vehicle, police said.
“Troopers are in communication with Lacy and his legal representation to turn himself in,” Louisiana State Police said in the release.
Lacy’s agent said the athlete is “fully cooperating with the authorities.”
“We strongly believe that the facts will ultimately demonstrate the truth, but we respect the need for a full and thorough investigation,” the agent, Rocky Arceneaux of Alliance Sports, said in a statement.
Arceneaux added that the case is “being taken very seriously, and we are committed to resolving it responsibly.”
Lacy was a wide receiver for the LSU Tigers. Two days after the crash, on Dec. 19, he announced that he will be declaring for the 2025 NFL draft.
The star prospect had 58 catches for 866 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Lacy had 26 touchdown catches in his five seasons at LSU. He opted out of the Texas Bowl against Baylor to focus on preparation for the draft.
