SAN ANTONIO – Two men, who apparently went to great lengths to retrieve a dropped cellphone by climbing down a cliff, had to be rescued themselves.
San Antonio fire officials used ropes to pull the two 19-year-olds to safety early Tuesday morning from an area near Mud Creek Park on the city’s North Side.
Officers with SAPD and Park Police were among the first to respond to a distress call after midnight, off Redland Road not far from Loop 1604.
The officers then called for help from the fire department.
A police report says the men told officers that they originally had plans to sit on the ledge of the cliff and drink.
However, after one man dropped his cellphone over the edge, both climbed down to retrieve it.
“It is a pretty steep area and some of the kids, some people have gotten stuck and hurt,” said Ofelia Castillo, who attends church nearby. “It’s nice to enjoy the view, the scenery, but it can be dangerous.”
The area where the rescue took place is just behind Castillo’s church.
Castillo says she has heard of numerous incidents there that didn’t end well for the people involved.
In this case, police say the men were able to call for help after they realized they could not climb back out of the area on their own.
Both were later checked out by paramedics.
“(It’s) unfortunate that they had to get stuck,” said Castillo, “but I hope that people would be more careful.”
While the men escaped injury, they didn’t exactly get away scot-free.
Police issued citations to both of them for being in the city park after hours.
