The Associated Press
PHOENIX, Ariz. — A teenage boy is safe after Phoenix firefighters rescued him from a ledge in a quarry Monday night.
Crews were called around 8 p.m. to Buffalo Ridge Quarry near 16th Street and the 101 freeway, fire Capt. Jonathan Jacobs said.
The 16-year-old boy was stuck in a steep spot in an area not safe for hiking, Jacobs said. The boy had been hiking with his sister when he decided to hop a fence.
The ridge he was on was estimated to be between 250 to 300 feet above ground, Jacobs said.
The sister was able to make it to the bottom of the mountain and call authorities.
Rescuers rappelled down and got him into a harness. They were then able to get him safely to the bottom.
One wrong step could have led to the boy falling several hundred feet, Jacobs said. “That was our biggest concern, that he might slip or fall before we got there,” he said.
The quarry is on private property, authorities said.
“He found himself in a very awkward position on the side of what was basically a rocky outcropping in an area he shouldn’t have been in at this time of night and without the proper climbing gear,” Jacobs said.
Authorities didn’t say if the teen would be cited with a legal violation.