Man discovered trapped inside cliffside crevasse after passersby heard screams for help

A man spent several days trapped inside a crevasse and was only discovered by passersby who luckily heard his screams for help.

One man is unimaginably thankful to the San Diego Fire Department after they spent more than 20 hours attempting to rescue him.

The unidentified man became trapped on San Diego’s Sunset Cliffs after he had tried to create a shelter. When tunneling, the man slipped and managed to get pinned by multiple rocks at the bottom of a tunnel.

He was discovered after two teenagers partying on the beach heard his screams for help and called 911.

One of the teens, Cole Stickley, told the San Diego Tribune: "We were playing music and my friend Diego said ‘Did you hear that?’ and thank God he did.

"We turned off the music and sure enough, there’s somebody calling for help."

The San Diego Fire Department detailed the rescue effort on a Facebook post and detailed the difficulty of trying to rescue the man.

“On Dec. 21, 2023 at about 4 p.m., SD Fire-Rescue dispatchers received a call from passersby in the area of Cable and Orchard streets,” the post said.

“At the time he was conscious and talking but he was unable to exit the small space on his own.

"Lifeguards called for additional resources including firefighters in the area and members of the technical rescue team.”

San Diego Fire and Rescue Department

As rescue teams assessed the situation they concluded the man was pinned from the waist down and that the opening of the hole was about 12 to 18 inches and about 20 feet down.

He apparently told witnesses he had been trapped for three to four days.

Things certainly looked bleak at one point as teams had to abandon their rescue efforts due to an incoming storm. However, the unfortunate man was not left to fend for himself.

“Rescuers decided to cover the hole and provide heat packs, intravenous fluids and fluids the patient could drink to keep his electrolytes up,” the post said.

“He was not given food because crews did not know the extent of his injuries.

"The rescue operation was paused because of the rain and rising tide but the patient was not left alone through the night.

San Diego Fire and Rescue Department

While it certainly was a perilous situation, the authorities remained determined to safely rescue the man, who had even become unconscious during the night.

“A special cave rescue team from San Bernardino County Sheriff's Dept. was requested and they arrived very early on Friday morning,” the fire department explained.

“This team uses materials to split the large rocks so that firefighters can then break up the rocks and remove them by hand.

"The greatest challenge in this unprecedented rescue was the pressure on the patient's legs. He was pinned from the waist down.”

Thankfully, the man was rescued by 11am and was taken to hospital to treat his major trauma injuries, but not before thanking the rescuers for their efforts.