2 Pokemon Go Players Fall From Encinitas Cliff: Report

Encinitas, CA — Two men were reportedly so engrossed in playing the Pokemon Go virtual scavenger hunt game on their cellphones Wednesday in Encinitas that they fell off a sea bluff.

Emergency personnel with the Encinitas Fire and Marine Safety Department responded at about 1:10 p.m. to the E Street overlook to perform a cliff rescue of the men, according to Encinitas fire Marshal Anita Pupping.

"Encinitas lifeguards encountered one male on the beach and a second male approximately 50 feet below the bluffs," Pupping said. "AMR, Encinitas lifeguards and firefighters treated the fallen patient on the beach."

The second man was safely brought to the top of the bluff by additional Encinitas Fire Department units, she said.

Both men — whose ages and identities were not disclosed — suffered moderate injuries, according to Pupping, and were taken to the trauma center at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla for treatment.

The man who fell to the beach told a San Diego County sheriff's deputy who also responded to the scene that he and the other man were playing the game when they fell, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

For those who haven’t caught Pokémon fever, the game works by having players move through the real world. As they do, their smartphones vibrate to let them know when a Pokémon is near. Players then throw a PokéBall to catch it and add it to their PokéDex. The game uses a smartphone’s GPS and camera to turn the real world into a gigantic scavenger hunt.

"I do not know for a fact why they went over the bluffs," said Pupping, adding that the Encinitas Fire and Marine Safety Department responds to many cliff rescues and bluff failures.

"Stay clear of all bluffs, overhangs and cliffs," Pupping said.

Elsewhere in San Diego, the Coronado Police Department is asking drivers to put down the Pokemon while driving. Not only have they received reports of cars stopped in the middle of the street because of the game, they have also gotten calls about large groups of people gathered in unusual places, Coronado police said Thursday in a call for people to act responsibly while playing the game.

In other Pokemon Go news, the game actually helped police in Fullerton apprehend a wanted man.