Woman rescued after she is swept nine miles in San Jose Creek during SoCal storm

Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times on Dec 24, 2025

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A woman was rescued by firefighters after she was swept miles down San Jose Creek, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said Wednesday.

The woman, whose name was not released, was first spotted in the creek near Fullerton Road by the 60 Freeway around 1:50 p.m. When firefighters arrived at the scene 17 minutes later, the woman was gone, the Fire Department said.

"She went downstream for a while," said Pauline McGee, a spokesperson for the L.A. County Fire Department.

The Fire Department continued looking for the woman downstream, sending fire trucks and using a helicopter to try to locate her, according to footage shot by newsgathering outlet OnScene.TV.

Eventually, the woman was rescued at Workman Mill Road in San Jose Creek, McGee said.

Video shows the woman being helped onto a stretcher by firefighters.

McGee said the woman was taken to the hospital, but her condition was not immediately clear.

The creek is about two feet deep and the water was flowing about eight to 10 miles per hour, McGee said.

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