Helicopter rescues Novato residents from cliff

The Sonoma County Sheriff's helicopter team rescued two Novato residents from a cliff at Pierce Point in Marin County on Friday.

The pair, a man and a woman, was not identified. They were not injured.

Marin County fire officials sought help from the helicopter crew at about 3 p.m. after receiving cellphone calls from the couple reporting they were stuck on a cliff above McClure's Beach.

They had apparently become lost on the beach and tried to climb up the cliff when they got stuck, Lt. Clint Shubel said. He said they were in jeopardy of slipping and falling to the bottom, about 250 feet up and 35 to 50 feet from the top.

The woman was bracing herself with her legs while the man was holding onto rocks for support, Shubel said.

Pilot Paul Bradley flew medic Scott Freedman at the end of a 100-foot line to the woman's location, where he was able to secure her with a "horse collar" and fly her to safety. The crew returned to scoop up the man.