San Jose Police Department Press release: AIR 3 Utilizes Certified Training to Rescue Hiker
On August 10, 2024, at approximately 4:09 PM, the San José Police Department AIR 3 assisted the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office in rescuing a stranded and injured hiker in the area of San Antonio Valley Road.
Around 8:30 AM, a 75-year-old male victim fell over one hundred feet off a rocky cliff while hunting in the area. After failing to return from the hunt, the victim’s friends called the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office at approximately noon to report a missing person.
The victim was spotted by his friend around 2:00 PM and contacted law enforcement. A Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Deputy hiked down and reached the victim around 4:00 PM and requested air support.
AIR 3 responded to the scene and extricated the victim through heavy tree cover out of the creek to a clear area where a life-flight medical transport helicopter that was incapable of conducting the extraction was awaiting half a mile away.
The victim was transported to a local hospital with injuries that were later determined to be non-life threatening.
SJPD would like to thank the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office for their quick response and collaboration with SJPD AIR 3 to locate and transport the victim to safety.
The primary purpose of the Air Support Unit (ASU) is to provide aerial services for units within the San José Police Department and other agencies within the County of Santa Clara.
The SJPD AIR 3 helicopter has and continues to successfully provide aerial support for police ground units on matters relating to public and officer safety. These include assisting in foot pursuits of felony suspects, apprehension of wanted suspects, recovery of stolen vehicles, locating missing persons, and rescuing injured hikers.
In 2023, AIR 3 was responsible for the recovery of roughly a third of the reported stolen vehicles in the city of San José that resulted in an arrest. When a Tactical Flight Officer assists with these cases from the air, it is equivalent to 38 Patrol Officers on the ground.
So far in 2024, AIR 3 has responded to 898 calls for service, 65 of which involved assisting outside law enforcement agencies and 11 for the San Jose Fire Department. In addition, Air 3 assisted the Covert Response Unit and MERGE Unit with the apprehension and arrest of six homicide suspects, as well as helped recover nearly 1.5 million dollars’ worth of stolen vehicles.
AIR 3 is trained and certified to conduct “short-haul” rescues and has been instrumental in assisting agencies with rescues like the one on August 10, 2024.
“AIR 3 is an invaluable eye in the sky that services the city of San José seven days a week to increase public safety,” stated Acting Chief of Police Paul Joseph. “AIR 3 is the only air support resource in the county with the equipment and capabilities to perform these important duties. The flight crew is highly skilled and committed to serving our community. San José is a safer place thanks to these dedicated professionals.”
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