Steven Gastelum Seaside Oregon hiker plunges 100ft to his death posing for photo along Devil’s Cauldron at Oswald West State after tree limb he climbed on snaps.
A hiker plunged 100 feet to his death from a tree after a branch snapped while he was posing for a photo along the Devil’s Cauldron trail in Oregon this weekend.
Steven Gastelum, 43, of Seaside, died Sunday when he fell over a cliff edge at Oswald West State Park, north of Manzanita, and plummeted into the ocean below.
The incident occurred as Gastelum was hiking with another person along the Devil’s Cauldron trail on the Oregon Coast KPTV reports.
The pair went to a cliff side viewpoint to take a photo, according to Oregon State Police.
Gastelum then climbed a tree on the edge of the drop to pose for a picture, said investigators. A sign clearly warned hikers to not ‘go beyond this point.’
Hiker pronounced dead at hospital
A tree limb snapped sending him falling 100 feet into the water below.
Emergency personnel were called to reports of a man falling off a cliff edge at around 1:48 p.m.
Responders from the Nehalem Bay Fire Department on jet skies and a US Coast Guard helicopter were drafted in the search for Gastelum.
The hiker was located and pulled to shore, where he was rushed to Tillamook Regional Medical Center.
Gastelum was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
His death comes almost exactly three years after the death of another hiker along the same steep trail in Oswald West State Park.
Joe Lescene, 51, died in September 2017 after he lost his footing on the cliff edge overlooking Devil’s Cauldron and fell more than 780 feet into the sea.
The father-of-two from Vancouver Island was hiking with his wife Sarah in the park when he fell over the cliff edge.
The couple visited the Oregon park every year for a romantic getaway.
The man’s body washed up on a beach on September 20, 10 days after he went missing.
The Devil’s Cauldron is a viewing point at the end of a short trail in the park.
It is a popular spot for hiking, walking and bird watching.
