On the evening of Wednesday, June 17, a male was hiking in the San Jacinto Mountains with his four grandchildren, ages 6, 10, 12 and 17, and they became lost.
Fortunately, he found a cellular signal on his phone that allowed him to call his spouse and alert her of their condition. The family immediately called Riverside County Dispatch to report the lost hikers who did not have any food or water with them.
Hemet Sheriff's Station sworn personnel responded and were assisted by the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit.
While conducting a ground search of the trail, the Sheriff's Aviation unit located the family and was able to advise the hikers not to move until searches could meet up with them.
The aviation unit guided RMRU toward the lost hikers.
By early Thursday morning, the hikers were extracted out of the mountains and returned safely to their family.