Cliff crumbles beneath man and sends him plunging 100 feet over California beach

A cliff crumbled under a California man’s feet — but his screams for help saved him.

The man was walking at dawn in Moss Beach on Friday, Aug. 26, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Santa Cruz Unit said. The cliff fell apart beneath him, and he plunged 100 feet.

He was stuck down the steep cliff, video shows. He started yelling for help.

At about 8:30 a.m., a woman heard the man yelling. Officials did not say how much time had passed before the woman heard him.

Rescuers rushed to help the man. Crews used a pulley system to hoist him up the cliff, video shows.

“Coastside Fire pulled him to safety within 22 minutes of their arrival,” CAL FIRE said. “Avoid cliff edges as they are unstable.”

Officials did not say if the man was injured or disclose his identity.

Moss Beach is about 45 miles northwest of San Jose.

This story was originally published August 29, 2022 at 10:25 AM with the headline "Cliff crumbles beneath man and sends him plunging 100 feet over California beach."