British actor Julian Sands identified as missing hiker

By Chuck Johnston, Camila Bernal and Sarah Moon, CNN

British actor Julian Sands, known for his work in shows like “24” and movies like “A Room with a View” and “Arachnophobia,” has been identified as a hiker missing in the Mt. Baldy, California area since last Friday, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

Sands was reported missing at 7:30pm on January 13, Gloria Huerta, a spokesperson with the department, told CNN on Wednesday.

CNN has reached out to representatives for Sands for comment.

On Thursday, Mara Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s office, told CNN the search for Sands was ongoing, but it’s still unsafe to search by foot.

“There’s no ground search at this time, the conditions are just too dangerous for us to insert any of our search and rescue personnel into the mountain,” Rodriguez said.

The Sheriff’s Office searched by air Thursday morning with helicopters and drones, but so far, the search has been unsuccessful.

Officials don’t know when they will be able to search by foot and say it will all depend on the conditions on the mountain.

They are also uncertain if they will be able to find Sands alive.

“Nothing is off the table. But obviously the conditions there are very extreme,” Rodriguez said. “We just don’t know what the turnout is going to be.”

Cell phone pings from January 15 lead officials to believe Sands went missing near Mt. Baldy.

“Additional phone pings from the cell provider were attempted but were unsuccessful, due to the lack of cell service and most likely cell phone power failure,” a statement released Thursday by the San Bernadino County Sheriff’s Department said.

Mt. Baldy is located in the San Gabriel Mountains in San Bernardino County.

On Wednesday, Huerta said search and rescue crews were on the mountain looking for Sands, but due to the severe weather and an avalanche threat, rescuers had to suspend their search efforts. Officials continued the search using drones, but were limited with other resources due to the weather on Mt. Baldy, Huerta added.

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has recently warned hikers about visiting Mt. Baldy, where high winds and ice continue to make conditions dangerous.

In a post on Facebook, the agency said that over the last four weeks, search and rescue teams have responded 14 rescue missions on Mt. Baldy and in the surrounding area.

“These rescue missions have been for lost, stranded and/or injured hikers. Unfortunately, during these past 4 weeks, two hikers did not survive after falling and injuring themselves,” the post said. “The recent storms that brought the snow and ice conditions are not favorable for hikers, even those that feel they have a high level of experience.”

Sands’s other credits include films like “The Killing Fields” and “Leaving Las Vegas” and TV shows like “Smallville.”

One of his most recent credits included a recurring role in Netflix’s television series “What/If.”

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