A thrill-seeking man who attempted to illegally parachute off from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon has died.
The daredevil attempted to BASE jump from Yavapai Point in the National Park at around 7:30 am on August 1.
But his effort was unsuccessful and his body was found with the deployed parachute about 500 feet below the South Rim by park rangers the next day.
The victim was taken to transported to the rim by helicopter and subsequently transferred to the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office.
His identity has not yet been confirmed as officials continue to wait for a positive identification.
A thrill-seeking man who attempted to illegally BASE jump from Yavapai Point at the Grand Canyon National Park was found dead yesterday
BASE is an acronym that stands for four categories of fixed objects from which a person can jump: buildings, antennas (referring to radio masts), spans (bridges) and earth (cliffs).
Adventurers participating in this recreational yet extremely dangerous sport jump from fixed objects and descend to the ground using just one parachute. A popular form of jumping is wingsuit BASE jumping.
BASE jumping is prohibited in all areas of Grand Canyon National Park.
The National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office are conducting an investigation into the incident.
His body was found with the deployed parachute about 500 feet below the South Rim by park rangers
The National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office are conducting an investigation into the incident
News of this tragic incident comes a day after a 20-year-old college student accidentally fell 400 feet to his death after hiking off trail at the Grand Canyon.
Abel Joseph Mejia of Hickory, North Carolina, was found by National Park Service (NPS) workers 400 feet ‘below the rim’ of the Pipe Creek Overlook around 10:30am on Wednesday, NPS said in a press release.
‘Mr. Mejia was near the edge of the rim when he suffered an accidental fall,’ NPS said.
Grand Canyon National Park spokesperson Joelle Baird told AZ Family that Mejia was hiking off-trail, ‘which is a pretty common place occurrence for a lot of our visitors here.’
Abel Joseph Mejia of Hickory, North Carolina, was found by National Park Service (NPS) workers 400 feet ‘below the rim’ of the Pipe Creek Overlook around 10:30 am on Wednesday
There have been nine deaths in the Grand Canyon this year due to cardiac issues, natural causes, suicide and more
The National Park Service, which is currently investigating the death, reminds parkgoers to ‘always keep a safe distance of at least six feet from the edge of the rim and stay behind railings and fences at overlooks.’
Turning Point Pentecostal Church said in a Facebook post that Mejia was on a ‘missions trip’ when the fatal fall occurred.
There have been nine deaths in the Grand Canyon this year due to cardiac issues, natural causes, suicide and more, Baird said.
The last time a fatal fall occurred at the Grand Canyon was in 2022, she noted.
Grand Canyon National Park is considered one of the most dangerous in the country and around 17 people die per year, according to NPS.
More than 4 million people visit each year.
