By Sara Schilling
The Charlotte Observer
LONE MOUNTAIN, Nev. — A drone played a key role in the rescue of a 17-year-old hiker in Nevada, police said.
The teen became stranded on Jan. 4 on a ledge on the eastern side of Lone Mountain, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department wrote in a Jan. 6 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The police department’s Drones as a First Responder unit found the hiker “and provided precise location details to ground rescue teams,” police said.
“For the next four hours, the drone’s powerful spotlight provided continuous lighting for both the rescuers and the stranded hiker, ensuring a safe and efficient operation,” according to police.
The Las Vegas Fire Department used “various methods” to get the hiker back down and eventually “successfully reunited him with his family, unharmed,” police said.
Lone Mountain is a roughly 17-mile drive northwest from downtown Las Vegas.
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