84-Year Old is Stuck in Desert for 5 Days and Survives

Henry Morello began to lose hope, stuck as he was for five long days with his car in a ditch in the Arizona desert.

The 84-year-old drank windshield wiper fluid after he got thirsty, used car mats to stay warm and even read a car manual from cover to cover to pass time, until he was found by a hiker passing by.

Morello said he became stranded when driving on Interstate 17,  realizing he took a wrong turn — made a U-turn and ended up in a ditch.

He tried to crawl out of the car but did not get too far and returned. He ripped a chrome piece from his car and put it on the roof, hoping someone would see the reflection.

He didn't have water. To quench his thirst, Morello said he broke the wiper fluid container open with a rock and filtered out fluid with napkin to try to make it safe.

He said nights were hardest for him because he would get scared, and he prayed to Saint Anthony, patron of lost causes.

With no sign of searchers by the fifth night, Morello said, he started to lose hope.

Overnight temperatures the week he was missing were in the upper 30s to the mid-40s, the National Weather Service said.

The hikers who found him Saturday morning weren't identified at the news conference, but Jim Sheehan, a friend who helped organize a search and rescue team, said they knew of the missing man.

Morello is a patient at John C. Lincoln Hospital in Phoenix, where doctors said he arrived in good condition considering what he'd been through. A diabetic, Morello, will stay in the hospital a few days while doctors treat him for kidney damage.

Dr. Kevin Veale said initial reports were that Morello had consumed some antifreeze, which would have been much worse than wiper fluid.

About 100 volunteers passed out fliers and searched on the ground for Morello over four days, after authorities got word that he was missing. The efforts began Wednesday. Volunteers cooperated with the Maricopa Sheriff's department to make sure that all surrounding areas were covered.

Morello won't be driving by himself for a long time, said Sheehan, who has been friends with Morello for 15 years.

And Morello says he's learned a lesson the hard way: "I'll never drive without water," Morello said.