55-year-old hiker extracted after search team stayed with him overnight in Arizona

People reports that authorities in Yavapai County, Ariz., stayed overnight with a 55-year-old hiker who fell from a ledge on Jan. 1, 2026, until he was extracted the following morning.

Deputies said they first responded at about 5:55 p.m. after the man suffered a serious leg injury; plunging temperatures, steady precipitation and flooding hampered efforts and created a hypothermia risk for both the hiker and rescuers. The search-and-rescue team remained with him through the night, starting a fire for warmth after plans for aerial support were scrapped, and coordinators contacted the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs to request a Black Hawk helicopter. "You have to plan two or three steps ahead," Yavapai County Forest Patrol Deputy Jason Kaufman told Fox affiliate KSAZ, and he said he made the call for the team to stay overnight, noting their training in lighting fires, splints and providing lean-to shelter. The Black Hawk crew extracted the patient at 7:45 a.m. on Jan. 2 and transported him to waiting medical personnel, officials wrote.

The sheriff’s office said it did not identify the injured man. Deputies also handled two other New Year’s Day incidents: a lost female hiker in the Blue Tank Wash area of Wickenburg who was found and taken to her vehicle, and a lost male hiker in Sedona who was located on a trail and brought to safety.

Key Topics

World, Yavapai County, Bumble Bee Road, Dema, Black Hawk, Jason Kaufman