Parachutist in distress was likely balloons

MONROVIA — A report of a parachutist possibly stranded in the foothills above Monrovia Sunday night was likely nothing more than party balloons, officials said.

A caller reported seeing a parachutist through a telescope go over the foothills about 6:30 p.m. in Spanish Canyon, near Monrovia Canyon Park, but not come back, Monrovia police Sgt. Tom Wright said.

Rescuers from the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team, as well as helicopters from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Pasadena Police Department scoured the area, but found no sign of the parachutist after more than an hour, Wright said.

A Verdugo fire dispatcher said one of the helicopters spotted a group of party balloons floating in the area of the same color the caller said the parachute was, leading officials to believe the caller mistook the balloons for a parachutist.

Nonetheless, rescuers continued the search Sunday night to make certain, Wright said.

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2 thoughts on “Parachutist in distress was likely balloons

  1. OMG that is what the commotion was about?
    Rather than banning stupid balloons take telescopes away from folks with a few too many cocktails at the old barbeque.

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