PICTURED: Man, 20, who plunged 400ft to his death at Grand Canyon – as cause of fatal fall revealed
A 20-year-old college student accidentally fell 400 feet (122 meters) after hiking off the trail in the Grand Canyon.
Abel Joseph Mejia of Hickory, North Carolina, was found 400 feet “below the rim” of the Pipe Creek Overlook by National Park Service (NPS) personnel around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, the NPS said in a news release. press release.
“Mr. Mejia was near the edge of the ledge when he accidentally fell,” the NPS said.
Joelle Baird, spokesperson for Grand Canyon National Park, said AZ family that Mejia was walking off the beaten path, ‘which is very normal for many of our visitors here.’
The National Park Service, which is currently investigating the death, is reminding park visitors to “always maintain a safe distance of at least six feet from the edge of the park perimeter and to remain behind fences and railings at viewpoints.”
Turning Point Pentecostal Church said in a Facebook post that Mejia was on a “missionary trip” when the fatal fall occurred.
Abel Joseph Mejia of Hickory, North Carolina, was found 400 feet “below the rim” of the Pipe Creek Overlook by National Park Service (NPS) personnel around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday
“Mr. Mejia was near the edge of the ledge when he accidentally fell,” the NPS said.
The recovery of Mejia’s body was “intensive” and required 30 emergency services, Baird told AZ Family.
Emergency services were able to locate the young man within 15 minutes of the report of the fall, but it took longer to free him.
Mejia attended Indiana Bible College, where honors were paid to the young scholar and his “warm smile and gentle spirit.”
“His absence will be deeply felt by all who knew him,” the school wrote in a Facebook post.
Grand Canyon spokesperson Joelle Baird told AZ Family that Mejia’s rescue mission was “intensive” and involved 30 rescuers. Rescuers eventually pulled his body from the canyon using a high-angle technical rescue system (pictured)
“Let us all join together in prayer for the entire Mejia family during this difficult time. May God bring comfort and peace to all who are grieving.”
According to Baird, nine people have died in the Grand Canyon this year from heart problems, natural causes, suicide and more.
The last time there was a fatal fall at the Grand Canyon was in 2022, she noted.
According to the NPS, Grand Canyon National Park is considered one of the most dangerous parks in the country, with approximately 17 deaths each year.
More than 4 million people visit the city every year.