Crime & Safety
Murrieta Hiker, Friends Rescued After Stranded by Storm
The father of one of the hikers located them at 11:30 p.m. Monday on a road near Tenaja Falls, where they were stranded and could not cross due to fast-moving flood waters.
Three hikers were rescued from the Cleveland National Forest west of Murrieta late Monday evening after they became stranded by swift running flood waters.
Benjamin Paccione, 24, of Murrieta, and two unindentified friends were last seen about 4:30 p.m. Monday, said Sgt. Steve de la Vara of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
The father of one of the hikers was able to locate them at 11:30 p.m. on a road near Tenaja Falls, where they were stranded and could not cross due to fast-moving flood waters, de la Vara said in a news release.
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Riverside County Sheriff's Deputies from the Lake Elsinore Station and Califonia Department of Forestry workers were able to rescue the trio. They were uninjured.
The Sheriff's Department reminded all residents of the extreme danger related to swift running water.
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"Motorists encountering swift running water flowing across any roadway should not attempt to cross. Motorists are advised to turn around and use an alternative route to arrive at their destination," de la Vara said.
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