A 13-year-old boy has been rescued after getting trapped in Los Angeles' sewer system for 12 hours.

Jesse Hernandez had been playing in Griffith Park when he fell 25ft into fast-moving sewage on Easter Sunday, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

A frantic 12-hour search of the underground pipes was launched using cameras propped on flotation devices before rescuers spotted images of handprints.

Emergency workers rushed to the scene and opened a manhole cover when they heard a cry of "help", officials said.

Jesse, who was 11ft deep in the pipe, was pulled to safety, hosed down and given immediate medical attention, the fire department said.

Authorities called his survival "miraculous" and said he had managed to find a pocket of breathable air while trapped.

Fire department spokesman Brian Humphrey said: "Any subterranean location, particularly one that involves waste, can produce toxic gases - methane, hydrogen sulfide - so breathable air is a key element.

"The odds of someone falling into such a pipe and surviving are slim. The odds were not in his favour, and many would call it miraculous."

After his rescue, Jesse told KNBC-TV: "I was praying to God to help me and to not die.

"It was all quiet. You could just hear the water running through and you couldn't see anything. It was dark."

About 2,400ft of pipe had been inspected when rescuers found Jesse less than a mile from where he disappeared.

He was taken to a hospital for a full evaluation and was reunited with his family.

"He has tremendous inner strength," he added. "It's obvious he's not a quitter." </s> Jesse Hernandez, 13, was rescued after spending 12 hours in the drains under Los Angeles. (Source: LAFD/KABC/CNN)

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A 13-year-old boy who fell into a drainage pipe during an Easter outing at a Los Angeles park was rescued alive early Monday after an overnight search of the underground system, authorities said. The boy spent at least 12 hours in the system before he was found.

"We located Jesse Hernandez alive and talking," fire Capt. Erik Scott announced before dawn. "We were able to give him a cellphone to even contact his family members (who) as you can imagine are overwhelmed with joy."

The search began around 4:30 p.m. Sunday when the Fire Department received reports that the boy had fallen about 25 feet (8 meters) down a pipe at the city's sprawling Griffith Park.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Jesse and cousins were jumping on wooden planks in an abandoned maintenance building when one of the planks broke and he fell.

The drainage system is part of a network that of pipes 4 feet (1.2 meters) in diameter that runs parallel to the Los Angeles River and crosses under freeways.

Numerous agencies joined the Fire Department, including the sanitation and engineering bureaus. Cameras that are normally used for pipe inspections and can both float and crawl were sent into the pipes.

About 2,400 feet (731 meters) of pipe had been inspected when Bureau of Sanitation workers opened a hatch to lower a camera near the intersection of two freeways and found the boy 12 hours after the search began.

He was treated by paramedics and taken to a hospital for a medical evaluation.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> A 13-year-old boy was found “alive and talking” Monday about a mile from the spot where he plunged 25 feet into a drainage ditch at Los Angeles’ Griffith Park on Sunday.

Jesse Hernandez was found Monday morning after a 12-hour frantic search involving more than 100 California firefighters. Authorities searched through the underground system of sewage pipes Los Angeles Police Sgt. Bruno La Hoz described as a “maze.” Cameras were used to look into the pipes, where the boy was located.

“Jesse was given a cell phone so he could immediately call family. Firefighter/Paramedics provided immediate medical care, decontamination and transport to a local hospital for a complete medical evaluation,” the Los Angeles Fire Department said Monday. “The Mayor's Crisis Response Team was also at the command post throughout the night providing welcomed support to the family.”

"We witnessed an incredible team effort by many public safety agencies," the Los Angeles Police Department tweeted after the boy was located.

Hernandez was with at least two family members, reportedly his cousins, around 4:30 p.m. Sunday when the wooden plank beneath the 13-year-old broke, causing him to fall into the 4-foot-wide pipe. The boys were playing in a maintenance shed above a ditch that feeds into the Los Angeles River, FOX11 LA reported.

"One was jumping on top of a wooden plank, perhaps not knowing that it led into a drainage pipe," Hoz told KTLA."The plank gave, the wood broke, and the kid fell right through it.”

The Hernandez family spends a day at Griffith Park as an Easter tradition, according to the Los Angeles Times. Authorities launched an immediate search for the boy — but couldn’t find him hours after the incident. Hoz described the sewage pipe system as a disorienting labyrinth.

"That place is a maze," Hoz said. "We don't know where the drain pipe goes to."

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman David Ortiz initially said rescuers couldn't enter the drainage area themselves because of the hazardous environment. “Closed circuit” cameras that could crawl along the pipe were used during the search.

Dominique Barraza, 16, a family friend, said she and other family members attempted to call the 13-year-old.

"We called, sent text messages — it rings but it goes to voicemail," Barraza said. "He's too young. It's just crazy. I still can't believe it."

Fox News' Edmund DeMarche and The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> LOS ANGELES — A 13-year-old boy who fell into a drainage pipe during a family Easter outing at a Los Angeles park was found alive early Monday following a frantic, 12-hour search of the underground system, authorities said.

The search for Jesse Hernandez began around 4:30 p.m. Sunday when the fire department received reports that the boy had fallen about 25 feet (8 metres) down a pipe at the city's sprawling Griffith Park.

Rescuers finally spotted the boy about 12 hours later after they saw images of handprints on a sewage pipe captured by a camera they had lowered down into the system of mazelike pipes to help the search.

A sanitation crew sent a team to the area where the handprints were seen and opened a manhole. </s> LAFD(LOS ANGELES) — A 13-year-old boy has been found alive less than 24 hours after falling through a wooden plank and being washed away into a network of drainage pipes that empties into the Los Angeles River, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

The boy, identified as Jesse Hernandez, is talking, the fire department said.

The accident happened at about 4:30 p.m. local time on Sunday when the boy and his friends climbed over a chain-link fence near Griffith Park and entered an abandoned maintenance shed, the fire department told Los Angeles ABC station KABC.

A wooden plank the boy was standing on gave away and he fell through a drainage pipe which empties into the Los Angeles River. Firefighters said the drainage ditch is about 13 feet wide and 2 feet deep with swift-moving water.

Some 100 firefighters were searching for the boy in the maze of sewage pipes for four hours before asking the public for help in locating him, KABC reported.

“LAFD is working closely with the Bureau of Engineering, Bureau of Sanitation and Bureau of Contract Administration to bring in specialized ‘closed circuit’ cameras to further the search,” the fire department said Sunday in a statement just after 10 p.m. local time.

“All possible City resources are being utilized in the search for Jesse. Our thoughts remain with Jesse and the extended Hernandez family,” the statement added.

KABC reported the family was picnicking in Griffith Park as part of its annual Easter tradition before the boy went missing. </s> A missing 13-year-old boy was found "alive and talking" more than 12 hours after he fell into a drainage pipe in Los Angeles and was swept away, authorities said."It's with happy hearts that all Los Angeles city agencies are able to state that we have found Jesse Hernandez," fire Capt. Erik Scott said near the original scene Monday morning.Jesse was reported missing about 4:30 p.m. the previous afternoon after he fell about 25 feet into the sewer pipe, prompting a massive response from emergency responders.He was discovered "where the 134 westbound freeway goes underneath the 5 Freeway" as L.A. Sanitation officials were opening a maintenance hatch to deploy a camera as part of the search, Scott said.The boy was given a cellphone to call his family, "who, as you can imagine, are overwhelmed with joy," the Los Angeles Fire Department captain said. Firefighter-paramedics attended to Jesse before he was transported to a hospital for treatment and decontamination. He was later released from the medical center.The teenager and his family were celebrating Easter at Griffith Park on Sunday when he climbed onto an abandoned maintenance shack. When a plank underneath him broke, he plummeted into toxic water that was flowing at about 15 mph.The drainage pipe is about 4 feet wide and is part of an enclosed sewage system, which provided search-and-rescue teams with few available access points.More than 100 firefighters participated in the search, along with park rangers and personnel from the Los Angeles Police Department, Department of Water and Power, and the California Highway Patrol.Jesse was rescued several hundred feet east of where he fell into the sewer. The location is so remote that authorities closed the westbound 134 Freeway before safely extricating the boy, who was dripping wet."The first thing they heard is 'Help,'" said Adel Hagekhalil, the sanitation department's assistant director. "They lowered the hose, he caught onto the hose and was reeled back up. He was sat down on the floor and the first thing he wanted was a cell phone to call his family." </s> A 13-year-old boy was found “alive and talking” Monday about a mile from the spot where he plunged 25 feet into a drainage ditch at Los Angeles’ Griffith Park on Sunday.

Jesse Hernandez was found Monday morning after a frantic search involving more than 100 California firefighters. Authorities searched through the underground system of sewage pipes Los Angeles Police Sgt. Bruno La Hoz described as a “maze.” Other details about the rescue were not immediately released.

Hernandez was found hours after he fell into the ditch that feeds into the Los Angeles River, FOX11 LA reported. He was with at least two family members, reportedly his cousins, around 4:30 p.m.

The boys were playing in a maintenance shed when the wooden plank beneath Hernandez broke, causing him to fall into the 4-foot-wide pipe.

“One was jumping on top of a wooden plank, perhaps not knowing that it led into a drainage pipe,” Los Angeles Police Sgt. Bruno La Hoz told KTLA.”The plank gave, the wood broke, and the kid fell right through it.”

The Hernandez family spends a day at Griffith Park as an Easter tradition, according to the Los Angeles Times. Authorities launched an immediate search for the boy — but couldn’t find him hours after the incident.

Hoz described the sewage pipe system as a disorienting labyrinth.

“That place is a maze,” Hoz said. “We don’t know where the drain pipe goes to.”

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman David Ortiz initially said rescuers couldn’t enter the drainage area themselves because of the hazardous environment. The department has requested “closed circuit” cameras to improve the search.

“These cameras have more advanced capabilities including lighting and the ability to attach to a pontoon which will crawl along the pipe,” the statement said.

Dominique Barraza, 16, a family friend, said she and other family members attempted to call the 13-year-old.

“We called, sent text messages — it rings but it goes to voicemail,” Barraza said. “He’s too young. It’s just crazy. I still can’t believe it.”

Fox News’ Edmund DeMarche and The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> A 13-year-old boy has been found alive about 12 hours after falling through a wooden plank and being washed away into a network of drainage pipes in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.The boy, identified as Jesse Hernandez, is "alert and talking," the fire department said.Jesse was found early this morning after being trapped in the pipe system overnight Sunday.The accident happened at about 4:30 p.m. local time on Sunday when the boy fell about 25 feet into a sewer pipe, the fire department said. ABC station KABC in Los Angeles reported that Jesse's family was picnicking in Griffith Park as part of its annual Easter tradition before the boy went missing. The fire department told KABC that Jesse and his friends had climbed over a chain-link fence near Griffith Park and entered an abandoned maintenance shed. Jesse then fell after a wooden plank he was standing on gave way.The pipes, which run parallel the Los Angeles River and cross under freeways, are 4 feet in diameter, the fire department said.The pipes are filled with 2 feet or more of liquid that moves at 15 mph, the fire department said.Teams from the Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles Police Department, California Highway Patrol and experts from the Bureaus of Sanitation, Engineering and Contract Administration were among the officials who worked to analyze the 6,400-feet pipe system and conduct the search.Cameras used to inspect pipes for repair were employed as part of the rescue effort, the fire department said.About 2,400 feet of pipe had been checked in the ongoing search when a maintenance hatch was opened to put in cameras. That's when "Jesse was found alert and talking," the fire department said.Jesse called his family and he was taken to a hospital to be evaluated, the fire department said."We would like to thank the entire Hernandez family for their patience and optimism," the fire department said. "From start to finish, this was an unprecedented team effort and the LAFD would like to recognize the excellent teamwork among all agencies involved." </s> LOS ANGELES, Calif. - A 13-year-old boy who fell into an underground system of sewage pipes in Los Angeles on Sunday was found alive despite the toxic environment he encountered, an official said Monday.

“It’s with happy hearts that all Los Angeles City agencies are able to state that we have found Jesse Hernandez,” Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Erik Scott said at an early morning news conference Monday.

Rescuers searched for more than 12 hours after Hernandez fell about 25 feet into a 4-foot diameter pipe while playing on top of a Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation structure in Griffith Park on Sunday.

Hernandez was found about a mile east of where he initially was reported missing in the 5200 block of Zoo Drive, near the Travel Town Museum, about 4:30 p.m.

A sanitation crew was opening up a maintenance hatch near where the 134 Freeway goes under the 5 Freeway to put in a camera as part of the search, “and that’s where we located Jesse Hernandez alive and talking,” Scott said.

The boy was given a cellphone to contact his parents after being pulled from the pipe. “As you can imagine, we’re overwhelmed with joy,” Scott said.

Hernandez is receiving medical aid and would be taken to a local hospital, Scott said.

The teen was playing with 4 to 6 other boys when he fell through what was described as a “wooden plank,” by Los Angeles Police Sgt. Bruno La Hoz.

"The plank gave, the wood broke, and the kid fell right through it,” La Hoz said shortly after the search for Hernandez began Sunday.

The sewage system is comprised of miles of enclosed pipes that stretch as far as the Los Angeles River and beyond, Scott said.
A 13-year-old boy is rescued after falling into a sewer and becoming trapped for 12 hours in Los Angeles.