Abel Joseph Mejia, Hickory, North Carolina college student accidentally falls 400ft to his death hiking beyond Grand Canyon edge after becoming disorientated.
A 20 year old college student has died after ‘accidentally’ falling 400 feet to their 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, July 31st, NPS said in a press release.
‘Mr. Mejia was near the edge of the rim when he suffered an accidental fall,’ NPS said.
20 year old was on a ‘mission trip’
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.’
The National Park Service, which is currently investigating the death, reminds park goers to ‘always keep a safe distance of at least six feet (2m) 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.
The recovery of Mejia’s body was ‘intensive’ and involved 30 people, Baird told AZ Family.
Responders were able to spot the young man within 15 minutes of being notified of the fall, but it took longer to extract him.
Mejia attended Indiana Bible College, which paid tribute 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.
Leading unintentional death at Grand Canyon National Park
‘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.’
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.
National Park Service data showed that falls were one of the ‘top three leading causes of unintentional deaths in parks’ between 2014-2019. Between those five years, there were 205 fatal falls across National Park Service parks.
Grand Canyon National Park is especially a popular park, with over 4.7 million visitors in 2023, according to the NPS.
