Off-Duty Marines Carry Hiker With Chest Pains Toward Rescue Helicopter

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ALTADENA (CBSLA) — Some off-duty Marines hiking at Switzer Falls north of Altadena jumped into action to help a nearby hiker experiencing chest pains.

Montrose Search and Rescue was notified at about 4 p.m. Sunday that a hiker was experiencing chest pains on the Switzer Falls Trail.

The hiker had used a personal locator beacon to alert authorities. But he still needed help getting off the five-mile trail, which is often described as difficult and very steep.

As local authorities worked their way downstream to the man, they found he had been carried upstream by four off-duty U.S. Marines from Camp Pendleton. The Marines had taken him further up the trail for a more rapid rescue, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The hiker was airlifted to a local hospital, where he is expected to recover.