Parks Bureau Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department received a call at 5:00 p.m. from the Assistant Manager at the Pyramid Lake Concessionaire. She conveyed her fear to the deputies that two men in a 10 foot "Pond Prowler" had not returned and were still on the lake. The winds at this time were 65-70 miles and hour with five foot swells.
The Deputies launched two boats and began to search for the boat. A helicopter was requested to help in the search but due to the 90 mph winds at altitude, they were unable to assist in the search. Two men were located on the spillway near the dam with waves crashing on them near a 200 foot drop. The deputies could not reach them by boat due to the cable and buoys in the water that prevent large boats from getting too close to the dam. The deputies in the boat gave instructions to the two men over a public address system while other deputies made their way to the men on foot.
Alexander Vajilyev, male, 60 years-of-age and Stanislav Vajilyev, male, 29 years-of-age, both residents of Agoura Hills were treated at the scene by Los Angeles County Fire Department Paramedics for mild hypothermia. They told the rescue personnel that their boat had capsized around 3:30 p.m. and they clung to the boat since they had no life jackets. The high winds pushed them into dam where they were found. Alexander, a former opera singer from the Ukraine was so appreciative of the efforts to save them, sang "God Bless America" to all of the rescue personnel.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Parks Bureau, is committed to provided a safe and drug free environment at all Los Angeles County Parks.
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