An injured man was rescued by two Border Patrol agents in a remote area in Otay Mountains, The U.S. Border patrol announced Friday.
The agents received a call at about 3:15 a.m. on June 5 from a man claiming he was injured, lost, and out of food, authorities announced in a press release. A Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue (BORSTAR) team found the man with non-life-threatening injuries at about 8:15 a.m.
The agency reported air support was requested due to the man’s injuries and the mountainous terrain. CAL FIRE responded and transported the man to a nearby hospital to treat his leg and hand injuries.
Border Patrol agents were informed that a lost hiker called 9-1-1 later that same night at around 11:30 p.m near the Otay Lakes Reservoir dam. The 29-year-old man provided authorities with his coordinates and stated that he was tired and without food or water.
According to the press release, agents from the Chula Vista station responded and found the man in good condition. Authorities found that the man was a Mexican national and the man was “determined to be present in the United States illegally”.
Agents transported the man to a nearby Border Patrol station for processing.
“I am proud of the efforts that these agents and our partners made to locate the men as quickly as they did,” said San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke. “The terrain can be unforgiving and incidents like these are a harsh reminder of how quickly people can become lost and place themselves in life-threatening situations.”
The Otay Open Space Preserve is one of the most popular, and riskiest routes to enter the U.S., and migrants often walk for several days, sometimes crawling to avoid detection, before they reach a road, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
