Good Samaritans help save 2 men from drowning in water

KGTV

By Dani Miskell

Click here for updates on this story

    SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Two men are lucky to be alive after somehow falling off Sunset Cliffs early Thursday morning.

The men were rescued not only by San Diego Lifeguards but also by good Samaritans who happened to be at the right place at the right time.

Those good Samaritans told ABC 10News that around 1 a.m. they heard the two men screaming in the water and fighting for their lives, so they immediately took action.

One of the Samaritans called 911, while the other jumped into the ocean to help with the rescue.

Witness Zachary Mallak said, “They were getting smashed in the waves and they were dropped into the cave. And when they were brought into the cave, they didn’t respond. So, they could have gotten stuck there for days; like, who knows what would have happened.”

Ryan Miller, who dove into the waters to help with the rescue, said he was certified at a surf school in Hawaii, so he knew exactly what to do.

“They were dying,” Miller said. “They were going to die if no one came in, so what was I going to do? Sit there and watch?”

ABC 10News photojournalist Paul Anderegg captured the dramatic moments as Miller helped San Diego Fire-Rescue crews get the two men onto surfboards and out of the water.

One of the victims who fell in is seen in the video wearing a white T-shirt, and he, along with his friend, were helped up the cliffs where medics rendered aid.

Sarah Hulbert, another witness at the scene and one of the locals who tried helping the two men in the water, said many came to help in the nick of time before rescue crews arrived.

“They were throwing surfboards over and trying to get everybody out as safely as possible, and it was honestly amazing,” Hulbert said.

On Thursday, San Diego Fire-Rescue’s Newsworthy Incident Fact Sheet showed the rescue transpired in just 90 minutes.

Update: The fact sheet was updated Thursday stating that the two men jumped off the cliffs.

San Diego Fire-Rescue Department

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.