Lost Hiker Found By Stranger Who Tracked Location Using Photo Sent To Friend
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The friend sent the photo to the LASD, who then asked for public help online
The lost hiker was rescued alive at around 3:45 p.m. Tuesday
A lost hiker was found alive after a helpful stranger successfully tracked his location using only the photo he sent earlier to a friend, authorities announced Tuesday.
Rene Compean, 46, was reported missing in the Los Angeles National Forest at about 6 p.m. Monday by a friend who got a text from the hiker informing him that he was lost. Compean sent his friend a picture of the surroundings of his location. His phone was almost out of battery, and he didn t know how to go back home, so he knew he was in danger.
A photo may very well have saved a missing hiker s life this week. 46-year-old hiker Rene Compean was reported missing near Mount Waterman in southern California on Monday evening. After disseminating a photo online that Compean had sent to a friend earlier on Monday, authorities located Compean on Tuesday.
While hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains, located about 50 miles northeast of Los Angeles, Rene Compean realized he was lost. His cellphone battery was dying, so he snapped a photo of his feet hanging over rocks and sent the image to his friend, along with the message that he was lost. Compean s friend alerted authorities and provided them the image later that day.
Updated: 7:10 AM PDT, April 15, 2021
Rene Compean was saved thanks to Benjamin Kuo, who recognized the area in which Compean took a photo of himself while lost in the Los Angeles National Forest.
A California hiker who went missing in the Los Angeles National Forest was saved thanks to a savvy stranger sitting at home in front of his computer.
Rene Compean. 46, was reported missing in the San Gabriel mountains about 6 p.m. Monday by a friend who got a text from Compean informing him that he was lost and that his cell phone was dying. The friend alerted SAR Teams that began to search in the Mt. Waterman area. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Compean did not have his location on his phone turned on and though the search continued through the night, he was unable to be found.
GPS obsessive saves life of stranded mountain hiker using this picture of his dangling legs: Geek pinpoints cliff location by matching satellite imagery to grainy phone shot
Renee Compean, 46, sent a photo of his legs dangling from a cliff to a friend as his phone was about to die saying he was lost and asking for help
Los Angeles County sheriff s posted the photo to Twitter asking for help in locating the missing man
Online Good Samaritan Ben Kuo pinpointed Compean s position by comparing vegetation and terrain from the shot to satellite imagery
Using the satellite-obsessive s GPS coordinates, search and rescue teams flew in to the site by chopper and found Compean that evening
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