Concertina wire is attached to the border wall in Brownsville Wednesday February 28, 2024.
San Diego, California – San Diego firefighters rescued a man stuck between two border fences near the U.S.-Mexico border in Otay Mesa early Thursday morning.
Emergency crews responded shortly before 7 a.m. to the area near Britannia Court and Britannia Boulevard, where they found the man hanging about 30 feet above the ground between two border barriers. According to José Ysea, Public Safety Media Services Manager for the City of San Diego, the man had climbed the tall fence but was unable to descend due to newly installed razor wire.
Firefighters from Cal Fire San Diego, supported by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, used an extension ladder to safely reach the man. Battalion Chief Kyle Kutzke said the rescue operation took about 45 minutes due to the challenges posed by the concertina wire on the fence.
“The wire was kind of an obstacle for all of us — for the person that was up there and for the assistance we were providing,” Kutzke told reporters at the scene.
A ladder truck and ambulance were present during the rescue. The man was eventually brought down without injury by approximately 10 a.m. U.S. Border Patrol agents were also on the scene. No details were released about the man’s nationality or the circumstances that led him to become trapped. However, those at the scene said he appeared to be attempting to enter the United States from Mexico unlawfully.
This is not the first time such an incident has occurred in the same area. In May 2022, three individuals were rescued from the Otay Mesa border wall without injury. In December 2021, a more serious incident took place when four people attempted a crossing and three suffered life-threatening injuries after falling from the wall. One individual was rescued via aerial ladder.
According to the U.S. Border Patrol, rescues along this stretch of the border are not uncommon due to the height of the wall and the dangers posed by additional deterrents like razor wire. Officials continue to warn of the serious risks involved in attempting unauthorized crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border.
