75-year-old hiker found on Mt. Baldy as search continues for missing actor Julian Sands

A 75-year-old hiker who was reported missing Sunday has been found alive on Mt. Baldy, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said.

Jin Chung of Los Angeles was found Tuesday afternoon with some “weather-related injuries” and a leg injury but was able to walk with the assistance of rescue personnel, the department said in a news release.

He was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Chung went missing on Mt. Baldy nine days after British actor Julian Sands, 65, was reported missing on the same mountain.

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Jan. 23, 2023

“As of this time, Mr. Sands has not been found and no evidence of his current location has been discovered,” the Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday.

On Wednesday, authorities said they had begun to scale back their efforts as the search for Sands entered its 12th day.

The Sheriff’s Department, which is leading the search, said it is continuing to look for the missing actor only with air units, such as helicopters and drones. Air crews are using RECCO devices, a rescue technology that uses harmonic radar systems to detect clothing equipped with RECCO reflectors. The device is commonly used to find people buried by an avalanche or lost hikers.

Since Sands was reported missing Jan. 13, the Sheriff’s Department had been scouring the Mt. Baldy area with both air and ground crews, though some ground crews were pulled off the mountain last week because of avalanche risks and dangerous trail conditions, a department spokesperson said. They have since revisited previously searched areas but with limited access to the summit due to the weather.