Hiker who launched daring search for 4 lost friends tragically plunges to his death as lost pals rescued

A hiker was killed after setting out on his own to search for a group of missing friends in Riverside County’s mountain region.

The unidentified hiker was found dead at the bottom of a 150-foot rock face in Anza, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The four hikers he had been looking for were later located by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office after deputies deployed aviation and mountain rescue units.

The sheriff’s office said it received a call around 8:26 p.m. Saturday reporting four lost hikers near State Route 74 in the rural area of Anza. The condition of the four hikers was not immediately known.