ELYRIA -- The Elyria Fire Department had to rappel down into a water-filled quarry to rescue trespassing swimmers Tuesday afternoon.
Just before 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, four men in their early 20s attempted to swim in and across an old quarry area surrounded by woods and a big fence.
"No trespassing" signs are everywhere and no one is allowed or supposed to swim there. It is surrounded by 30- to 50-foot walls.
The men apparently dove in and began swimming across when one man became exhausted and panicked half way across.
His friends managed to get him to the other side buit the fences and walls prevented them from getting out of the water.
The Elyria Fire and Police departments, along with Life Care Ambulance, arrived at the quarry and the firefighters had to rappel down the huge cliff to rescue all four men.
The man originally in distress was very badly dehydrated with a few other issues so he was taken to an Elyria Hospital and then flown by LifeFlight to MetroHealth Medical Center for observation.
While the rescue was underway for a three-hour period, Elyria Police cited at least nine other people for swimming and trespassing.
WKYC-TV