Jerry Jurett, 81, left his summer home in Big Pine, California to return to his wife in Nevada, a four-hour journey.

After a six-day absence, his grandson Christian has lost all hope that the man who raised him is alive.

But still, former NASA employee he was found and rescued, managing to survive, albeit stuck in the snow, with little cookies and two croissants.

“All this is a miracle. It’s hard for us to imagine that a man who has done so much in his life, created a legend, gets stuck in his car and dies of hypothermia,” his grandson told the BBC.

An 81-year-old man was caught in a blizzard that is hitting California with particular force these days, with his car stuck in the snow almost a meter high.

As it turned out, on February 24 and half an hour later, Jerry got confused and ended up on a country road where his SUV got stuck in the snow.

However, instead of panicking, the 81-year-old put into practice what he learned from the reality show episodes. survivor who watched with his wife Sharon and their grandson.

Although he was wearing only a light windbreaker, he kept warm with a thin blanket and hotel towel he found in the car.

The mathematician managed to hold the car battery for 3.5 days, periodically turning it on and off.

For water, he just rolled down the window and he ate snow. As far as food is concerned, he appealed to a few scattered snacks what he had in the car.

“He ate snow, croissants and cookies,” his grandson says.

However, unfortunately for him, the car’s battery died just as he was rolling the window, leaving him exposed to the cold, especially during the two evenings that passed before he was found.

On March 2, six days after he left Big Pine, and although the helicopter crew initially mistook his car for a rock and nearly ran him over, the 81-year-old was eventually rescued and taken to the hospital.

The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office later said the helicopter located the car on the Death Valley Road thanks to a cell phone signal. “As the crew approached to check, the window was rolled down and the man began gesturing from inside the car,” the press release said.

At the hospital, the medical staff were surprised to learn how he had no signs of hypothermia and his health was perfect.

According to Christian, he called his family, shouting with joy.

“He’s not a very emotional guy, but I think he was scared. I cried a lot. I didn’t realize how much we take all these things for granted,” he said.

Source: BBC