First responders in San Francisco rescued a woman on Christmas Day after she plunged 120 feet off a beachside cliff in her car, which landed upside down on the sand below.
According to The San Francisco Chronicle, the woman was inside of her car when, for reasons that remain unclear, it drove off the cliff and toward the Pacific Ocean. The San Francisco Fire Department reached the scene within minutes of the incident, retrieving the reportedly conscious woman from the upside down car.
No one else was in the vehicle and it’s not clear what prompted the incident, according to authorities. The woman was transported to a local hospital early Christmas morning in serious condition, reports ABC-7.
UPDATE- PT BEING TRANSPORTED OFF BEACH ACTIVE INCIDENT @GGNRANPSAlerts https://t.co/H4YXvT4lEh pic.twitter.com/oMXqYz1xH4
— SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT MEDIA (@SFFDPIO) December 25, 2020
Officials didn’t release the woman’s name after the incident, which occurred at Fort Funston in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Fire Department Spokesperson Jonathan Lambert said the woman was capable of speaking with rescuers after the crash, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
California first responders have initiated a number of beachside rescues this year. Back in July, a police officer in Southern California initiated a dramatic rescue after a man drove off a cliff with his two toddlers inside in an apparent suicide attempt.
San Diego K-9 Officer Jonathan Wiese, who was one of the first responders on scene during the July incident, grabbed a K-9 leash, wrapped it around himself, and gave the other end to other rescuers to hold onto as he rappelled 30 feet into the ocean below.
“I could see him and he had one of the girls in his arms, and I have a two-year-old daughter at home so I imagined, what if that was my wife and kid down there? You’re not going to stand there on the cliff and watch it happen,” said Wiese, who later recalled the rescue effort, reported The San Diego Tribune.
Wiese managed to rescue both twin girls in an act that San Diego Police Chief David Nisliet called “probably the most heroic thing” he’s seen in his many years on the force. The quick-thinking officer, however, said all he cared about was making sure those girls lived and would have a “second chance at life.”
The man who drove the car off the cliff was also rescued and was subsequently charged with attempted murder and kidnapping.
Wiese, who was also credited in 2019 with helping to arrest a suspect who fled from the scene of the Poway Synagogue shooting, has since been given a day of honor — August 6 — in the city to recognize his heroic acts.
“Officer Jonathan Wiese is a bona fide hero and an exemplary public servant,” said San Diego City Councilmember Mark Kersey, reported NBC-7 earlier this year. “We are grateful for his selfless, courageous service to our city.”
Related: Police Officer Rappells Down Cliff With K9 Leash To Save Toddlers From Drowning