20-Year-Old Man Falls Over Grand Canyon Rim 400 Feet to His Death

A North Carolina man visiting the Grand Canyon died Wednesday after falling 400 feet from the rim, officials said.

The National Park Service said the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a report at around 10:40 a.m. Wednesday that a visitor had fallen from the rim about a quarter-mile west of Pipe Creek Overlook. The Pipe Creek Overlook is on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, about a mile and a half southeast of the Grand Canyon Visitor Center.

Rangers responded to the scene and located the body of 20-year-old Abel Joseph Mejia, of Hickory, N.C., about 400 feet below the rim. His body was recovered using a high-angle technical rescue system.

Park officials said Mejia was near the edge of the rim when he fell accidentally.

The incident is being investigated by the National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Park officials are warning visitors to remain on designated trails and walkways, and to keep a safe distance of at least six feet from the edge of the rim.

—TMX contributed to this report