Santiago Peak : Bodies of 2 Men, Truck Lifted From Plunge Site
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The bodies of two men found in a truck that plunged 1,000 feet off a steep dirt road near Santiago Peak in the Cleveland National Forest were recovered Monday, authorities said.
A spokesman for the coroner’s office identified the men as Michael Joseph Klucas, 24, of Mission Viejo, the driver of the truck, and James Joseph Schiada Jr., 28, of El Toro, a passenger.
The bodies were spotted early Sunday below the Maple Springs truck trail in a remote area about one mile west of Santiago Peak by passers-by, California Highway Patrol spokesman Paul Caldwell said Monday.
Caldwell said bottles and cans were found under the vehicle, indicating that the men had been drinking before the accident.
Authorities used two helicopters, one from the U.S. Marine Corps, to recover both bodies and the victims’ vehicle, a 1983 GMC, Caldwell said. Efforts to recover the bodies had been abandoned Sunday night because of strong winds and the mountainous terrain.
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