Officials rescued a 15-year-old boy from a mountain in Sedona on Thursday morning.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said the teenager left home alone on foot at 7:45 a.m. on Thursday. He was attempting to climb Capital Butte, also known as Thunder Mountain.
At 12:30 p.m., the teen called 911 after needing help. At the time of the call, his phone was down to one-percent battery life and only had a brief communication with rescuers.
YCSO said a search and rescue team was dispatched at 2:30 p.m. in the area of the teen’s last known location.
Rescue teams began to attempt to reach the teen around 7:00 p.m. after a citizen in the area heard the boy yelling for help.
An Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter was able to find the boy, but he was inaccessible by air or ground due to darkness.
According to YCSO, the DPS helicopter was able to lower a backpack to the 15-year-old. The backpack included items to survive the night. A YCSO deputy remained on the scene overnight to keep an eye on the teen.
At 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, the DPS helicopter responded back to the area to rescue the boy.
The teen was airlifted to the Andante trailhead unharmed and reunited with his family.
