One of two drones launched by police spotted the hiker in rugged terrain in Crowders Mountain State Park in Gaston County around 6 p.m. Monday, police said. The drones have thermal technology to find a person’s location. The hiker “was sitting on a large boulder on the very steep and rugged mountainside,” police said in a news release.

The Gaston County Police Drone Unit was asked to help due to the time of day and rough terrain around the hiker. A drone was launched from the summit of King’s Pinnacle and the hiker immediately shouted for help when they saw it. With the use of thermal technology, the drone was able to quickly pinpoint the hiker’s location.

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — The Gaston County Police Drone Unit helped find a lost hiker alone in the dark in rugged terrain on Crowders Mountain. The hiker called 911 at about 5:50 p.m. on Monday and Crowders Mountain State Park rangers were talking to them by phone, which eventually stopped working because of a low battery.

A hiker was rescued Monday evening after Gaston County Police said it deployed drones to help find the person at Crowders Mountain State Park. The department said the hiker called 9-1-1 just before 6 p.

A police drone helped locate a missing hiker at Crowders Mountain State Park on Monday. The rescue mission began around 5:50 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 3, when Gaston County police got a 911 call from a lost hiker in the park.