AUBURN, Calif. --
Placer County crews made a daring rescue when a base-jumper got caught in a tree after taking a late-night leap from California's tallest bridge.
The jumper's parachute caught on a tree, and he found himself hanging 60 feet above the ground, according to Cal Fire.
The man hung there for about an hour and a half before calling 911 from his cellphone.
Rescue crews from the Placer County Sheriff's Department used a helicopter to rescue the jumper. Those involved said this was one of the most difficult rescues they have ever pulled off, because the rotors from the helicopter create so much wind.
Parachutes are designed to capture wind, so it wasn't a good combination and the crews had to make some necessary adjustments.
Base-jumping is jumping with a parachute from a fixed object -- in this case, the Foresthill Bridge in Auburn.
The margin of error is small, because the jumper has less time to pull the cord than he would from a plane.
Crews lowered the Placer County base-jumper safely to the ground, and he is physically OK.
But officials arrested him and booked the man in the Placer County Jail. Base-jumping is only allowed with a permit, for movies and special events.
The Foresthill Bridge stands 730 feet over the American River.
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