Missing man found in Mendocino

A Santa Rosa man who spent two nights lost in the woods of northern Mendocino County was found cold, tired and hungry but otherwise unharmed Tuesday night.

Nicholas Montoya, 29, and his friend, Errin Petty, 29, also of Santa Rosa, were riding dirt bikes on logging roads near Irmulco Road on Sunday when Montoya got lost, said Mendocino County Sheriff’s Search Commander Sgt. Kevin Cotroneo.

He spent his first night sleeping near his dirt bike and the second in a culvert, he said.

He ate a couple of beetles and a salamander, which made him sick to his stomach, said Cotroneo, who advises against eating salamanders.

Many types of salamanders are poisonous and can be lethal to eat.

Montoya on Tuesday made his way to Sherwood Road, west of Willits, where a search and rescue reserve deputy found him at about 5:30 p.m., Cotroneo said.

There had been at least 25 people and two helicopters searching for Montoya. They were hampered by the rain and low-lying fog, Cotroneo said.

Montoya’s bike, which he was test driving prior for a possible purchase, has yet to be recovered, he said.