Crews Rescue 13-Year-Old Who Fell Into Drain Pipe at Los Angeles Park

Rescue crews in Los Angeles worked through the night to successfully rescue a 13-year-old boy who fell into a drainage pipe while spending Easter with his family.

Jesse Hernandez was found early Monday morning after crews spent twelve hours attempting to reach the boy. Crews managed to open a hatch and reach a system of pipes to lower a camera. The Los Angeles Times reports that Hernandez was at Griffith Park with his family on Sunday where he and his cousins were jumping on wooden planks in an abandoned maintenance building. When one of the planks broke, the 13-year-old plummeted 25 feet into a 4-foot-wide drainage pipe.

Officials worked to free the boy, studying maps of the closed sewage system, and used a camera attached to a flotation device to locate Hernandez. A spokesman with the Los Angeles Fire Department said crews wouldn't go into the drainage area because of the hazardous environment.

Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said Jesse was alert and talking and has been taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation.