Crime & Safety

Update: Moon Fire Crews Rescue Three from Rocky Hillside

Two young children and their father call for help after getting lost on hiking trip.

The today rescued a father and his two young sons from the rocky hillside overlooking the Sewickley Bridge. 

Fire Chief John Scott said Mark Koeppen, of Virginia, and his two sons, ages 6 and 8, were hiking on trails off Lee Drive when they became disoriented and called authorities for help using a cell phone. 

Sgt. Doug Busch said in a statement that Koeppen was able to give authorities his GPS location and a description of visual landmarks. 

Find out what's happening in Robinson-Moonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"It was getting dark, and they were having some trouble getting back," Scott said. "The father was in contact with police the entire time."

Rescue workers responded shortly after 4 p.m. They used ropes and harnesses to remove the father and boys from the rocky hillside overlooking University Boulevard near the Sewickley Bridge.  

Find out what's happening in Robinson-Moonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Crews could be seen from the roadway scaling the hillside to retrieve the group. Scott said the group was not near the cliff's ledge overlooking the roadway when rescuers arrived. 

"We had to remove them from the steeper side of the hill," Scott said. 

No one was injured in the rescue.

Check back with Patch for more on the story. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.