A man and his dog who were hoisted to safety via helicopter after being stranded on a cliff on Mt. Wilson earlier this month were reunited with their rescuers Friday.
Dave Sentonil and Bubba were rescued on Aug. 8 by personnel from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Enforcement Bureau.
“Mr. Santonil and Bubba were on the verge of falling 300 feet into the canyon,” Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at a news conference Friday morning at the Biscailuz Training Center’s helipad area.
“With no time to waste, (deputies ) quickly devised a tactical rescue plan,” Villanueva said. “The plan consisted of positioning the helicopter in a hover near the cliff face without allowing the rotor blades from colliding with the side of the cliff, and preventing the helicopter rotor downwash from blowing Mr. Santonil and Bubba off the precipice.”
Sentonil told reporters that he and his mother were taking Bubba for a walk when Bubba — not on a leash — darted away and slid about 80 feet down an embankment near the trail. He said he went down the embankment after Bubba and called 911, eventually getting through to first responders.
However, he and Bubba were too far down the embankment to be brought to safety by personnel on the ground, so the helicopter hoist operation was necessary, Sentonil said.
“These guys came to my rescue — and, thank God, everything went very smoothly,” Sentonil said, turning to his rescuers at the news conference. “And I thank these guys for everything.”
The rescue was one of the most difficult encountered by the Special Enforcement Bureau, and involved a hoist operation of about 175 feet, authorities said.
A deputy was lowered to the stranded pair, and he secured himself to a tree, Villanueva said. He then lowered himself to the stranded pair “just as a small patch of loose soil supporting their weight began to give way,” Villanueva said.
“This is kind of like one of those Hollywood movies, but in real life,” Villanueva said.