LOS ANGELES — News crews in Los Angeles were able to capture the moment the Los Angeles Fire Department plucked a man out of a raging river on Wednesday afternoon.
The region was soaked by a record amount of rain, with some areas seeing 2.7 inches of precipitation in 24 hours, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and KTTV.
The man, who was not identified, was clinging to a wall next to the surging and dangerous Los Angeles River.
A helicopter crew with the Los Angeles Fire Department tried to lower a life vest to the man, but the rotor wash and high winds made it difficult.
Eventually, a first responder was lowered down to the man over the river’s edge and was able to reach the man. The pair was submerged for a moment before the helicopter pulled them to safety, KTTV reported.
The man was taken to an area hospital for treatment. Officials said he was suffering from hypothermia, KTLA reported.
KTTV and KTLA reported that officials were not sure why the man was in the river in the first place.
He was not the only water rescue that crews had to perform this week.
One couple was swept away by the Sana Ana River and became stranded on an island. Swift water and technical rescue teams from Riverside, California, used a raft to get the couple to safety, KTLA reported.
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