By Marlyn Montilla
03 Aug 2024, 16:38 PM EDT
A man tried to illegally jump off the edge of the Grand Canyon and fell 500 feet to his death, according to the National Park Service.
The Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center also responded to a report of a visitor who had jumped from Yavapai Point on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park around 7:30 a.m. Thursday.
Rangers responded to the scene and found the man dead 500 feet below the edge, along with an open parachute, officials said.
Rescue workers were able to recover the victim’s body by helicopter Friday morning. The body was taken to the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office for a determination of the cause of death, the New York Post reported.
The high-risk activity is derived from the acronym BASE, which represents four categories of fixed objects that a person could jump from: buildings, antennas, spans, and ground.
BASE jumping is strictly prohibited in all areas of Grand Canyon National Park, officials stressed.
On Wednesday, a North Carolina man fell 400 feet to his death near a well-known area of the Grand Canyon’s South Rim.
The body of 20-year-old Abel Joseph Mejia was later recovered about a quarter mile from the overlook, they said.
Park officials said Mejia accidentally fell while standing on the edge of the hoop.
An average of 11 people die annually at the Grand Canyon, according to National Park Service mortality data.
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