WALNUT GROVE -- A Hayward man who parachuted off a 2,000-foot television transmission tower used his cell phone to call for help when his chute became tangled in a guy wire about 200 feet above a cornfield.

Firefighters were able to rescue John Agnos early Friday morning, about five hours after he jumped from a tower about 20 miles south of Sacramento.

Agnos told dispatchers he thought he had broken both arms, said Deputy Chief Bill Davis of the Elk Grove Fire Department. He reportedly was making the jump to celebrate his 41st birthday, officials said.

Agnos' canopy parachute wrapped around the guy wire, and he slid down the 2.5 inch-diameter line until becoming entangled with a cross wire, said Mark Rogerson, the Walnut Grove fire commissioner.

A ladder truck's reach fell short by about 100 feet, so Sacramento firefighter John Clark, 33, climbed the wires, then used ropes to devise a pulley to lower Agnos to the ground.

Assistant Sheriff David Lind ruled out using a helicopter to rescue Agnos.

"I didn't want our chopper to attempt a rescue of this guy," he said. "I'm not going to risk the lives of our deputies."

The Hayward man was taken to UC Davis Hospital where he was listed early Friday in serious condition.

Agnos' injuries may not be his only concern. Rogerson said that authoritites wanted the Hayward man to pay for the rescue.

"He may go bankrupt," Rogerson said, "and walk away with a misdemeanor."