Sammy Vengrinovich. Photo: Father Vlad Vengrinovich
SAN FRANCISCO – A Bay Area family is frantic after their 44-year-old son disappeared while hiking in India’s Dharamsala region, where there are glaciers, late last week.
Parents Vlad and Tina Vengrinovich, who live in Florida, said their son, Samuel “Sammy” Vengrinovich, was last seen on June 6 while trekking in the Himalayan mountains, and they are “deeply concerned” for his safety.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Sammy Vengrinovich was hiking with a Dutch companion and was last seen climbing Mount Triund, a popular hiking spot.
In an interview with KTVU on Wednesday, sister Natasha Vengrinovich, who lives in San Francisco, said her older brother left his bag, including his cell phone, at the overnight campsite and continued toward the nearby snow line — a more dangerous section of the trail – even though the weather was getting worse. She described the area as full of glaciers. He had met some fellow hikers along the way, she said, but had gone up to this foggy, rainy area alone.
“My mom is a desperate wreck,” Natasha Vengrinovich said. “My dad is awake day and night. I am emotionally taking deep brehts. We are doing the best we can at the moment but we are very scared.”
Sammy Vengrinovich immigrated to Israel from the United States and lives in Jaffa.
His sister said he had lived in San Francisco a while ago, and had been a DJ and took other contract jobs in Israel. She said he was traveling to figure out where he wanted to live next.
She also stressed that her brother had no insurance and that his family is worried about how to pay the costs to find him.
“We really need him to come back home,” she said. “I love him so much.”
In a GoFundMe post, his parents said that they have hired a private search and rescue team, and have $20,000-a-day in expenses. That includes $40,000 to fly in an Israeli delegation to help for four days and $20,000 for helicopter crews who charge $3,500 per hour.
The family also thanked volunteers for helping to find their son, but urged people not to go to the region alone as the terrain is extremely dangerous. There is a Chabad rabbi in Dharmasala that people can contact if they want to help.
Manuel Guzman Kizer, a friend of Vengrinovich and a volunteer with the Israel Police, told the Jerusalem Post that his friend was told that he did not have the right equipment for the conditions on his trek.
“He was in India for four months, and hiking in the Himalayas was the final leg of his trip before planning to return to Israel,” Guzman Kizer told the Post.
IF YOU’D LIKE TO HELP, the family is asking for donations to cover the search.
