Dying Hiker Revived By Bystander, Police Officer In SMC

SAN MATEO, CA — A man in his late 20s is alive after a bystander and a San Mateo police officer worked together to revive him from cardiac arrest Monday afternoon on a San Mateo trail.

San Mateo police dispatch said they received an automatic "Hard Fall Notification," a feature on smartwatches that senses sudden impacts, with GPS coordinates at 3:59 p.m. leading to Coyote Point and could hear a man groaning during the initial call.

A second caller reported finding an unconscious man face down on a trail. While officers were en route, dispatchers guided the bystander through CPR instructions as the man stopped breathing.

When officers arrived and confirmed the victim had no pulse, one officer retrieved a mobile AED device from her patrol vehicle and delivered a single shock that restored his heartbeat. Medics arrived shortly after and transported the man to a local hospital for continued care.

The SMPD stated it equipped all 43 of its patrol vehicles with mobile AED devices roughly four years ago. Officers receive CPR and first aid training every two years and completed a refresher course as recently as February, police said.