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Woman Rescued After Being Swept at Least 9 Miles Down Creek During Christmas Eve Calif. Storm
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A woman in Los Angeles was swept nine miles down San Jose Creek in the mid-afternoon on Wednesday, Dec. 24
The woman was initially spotted in the creek near near Fullerton Road around 1:50 p.m. local time and was rescued by first responders at Workman Mill Road and taken to the hospital
This comes amid severe weather conditions in California, which has prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in southern California counties
A woman in Los Angeles was rescued after being swept into the San Jose Creek due to severe storm conditions in the area, according to reports.
The woman — who was not identified — was swept nine miles down San Jose Creek in the mid-afternoon on Wednesday, Dec. 24, according to the Los Angeles Times and The Guardian, which cited the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD).
Someone reported seeing the woman in the creek near Fullerton Road by the 60 Freeway around 1:50 p.m. local time, according to the LACFD, per the L.A. Times. When firefighters arrived at the scene about 17 minutes later, she was gone, per the outlet.
“She went downstream for a while,” LACFD spokesperson Pauline McGee told the L.A. Times.
Fire trucks and a helicopter searched for the woman downstream and she was eventually rescued at Workman Mill Road in San Jose Creek, about nine miles from where she was first spotted, per the L.A. Times.
Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty
The Santa Clara River in Filmore, Calif. on Dec. 24, 2025
PEOPLE has reached out to the LACFD for comment on the incident.
Video obtained by the L.A. Times showed the unidentified woman being helped onto a stretcher by firefighters.
McGee told the outlet that the woman was transported to the hospital, though she did not say what condition the woman was in or how the woman ended up in the creek.
The LACFD spokeswoman also noted that the creek is about 2 feet deep and the water was flowing about 8 to 10 mph, when the woman was rescued.
This comes amid severe weather conditions in the California area caused by an atmospheric river from the Pacific. A forecast from the U.S. Weather Prediction Center predicted “moderate risk of excessive rainfall over parts of Southern California.” It also noted that “numerous flash flooding events are possible” and “many streams may flood, potentially affecting larger rivers.”
Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty
Flooding in Oxnard, Calif. on Dec. 24, 2025
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On Wednesday, Dec. 24, Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles county and other southern California counties, noting that there was flooding and landslide and mudslide risks in areas, especially those affected by last year’s wildfires.
So far, at least two people have died in California due to weather-related incidents, according to CNN. In one incident, a motorist crashed and died on a roadway in South Sacramento, the outlet reported, citing California State Highway Patrol.
In San Diego, a 61-year-old man was also killed after a large portion of a tree fell on him following heavy winds, CNN reported, citing the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
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