Two 14-year-olds trapped on cliff near God’s Thumb saved, Oregon firefighters say

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter plucked two teens off a cliff near the God’s Thumb rock outcrop on the Oregon coast, firefighters reported.

The teens became stuck trying to climb a cliff from the beach to God’s Thumb on Saturday, July 5, North Lincoln Fire & Rescue said in a news release on Facebook.

A Coast Guard MH-60 helicopter crew stationed in Astoria hoisted the teens to safety along with a firefighter who became stuck trying to reach them, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

A video shows the crew hoisting the climbers.

The two 14-year-olds were flown to a nearby beach and reunited with their families, firefighters told KPTV.

Cody Heidt, deputy chief fire marshal for the agency, told KOIN the rescue operation cost an estimated $20,000.

“What tends to happen is they make it to nearly the top, about 30 to 40 feet from the summit,” Heidt told KPTV. “It goes almost vertical there. So when they get to that point, they don’t feel safe coming down because of the loose rocks, and they can’t go up anymore.”

Two other climbers also had to be rescued by helicopter from the cliff earlier this year, firefighters said.

Lincoln County is about a 130-mile drive southwest from Portland.

This story was originally published July 8, 2025 at 2:58 PM with the headline "Two 14-year-olds trapped on cliff near God’s Thumb saved, Oregon firefighters say."