College student falls to his death at the Grand Canyon

A college student visiting the Grand Canyon died after an accidental fall near a scenic overlook, park officials said Thursday.

Abel Joseph Mejia, 20, fell to his death on Wednesday, roughly 1/4 of a mile from Pipe Creek Overlook, the first vista along the park’s South Entrance Road, the National Park Service said in a news release.

A report of a fall was called in at 10:40 a.m. Wednesday, the agency said. Rangers found Mejia’s body 400 feet below.

The park service said it is investigating the incident with the local medical examiner’s office and no additional details were immediately available. 

In a statement, Indiana Bible College identified Mejia as a student at the Indianapolis school and said he was known for his warm smile and gentle spirit.

“His absence will be deeply felt by all who knew him,” the school said.

According to National Park Service data, there were 205 fatal falls across the entire park system between 2014 and 2019, the most recent year available. The service identified all of the fatalities as unintentional.

At Grand Canyon National Park, which has recorded millions of visitors annually for decades, there were 14 deaths in the same period. “Photographing” accounted for four of those deaths and ranked as the most lethal recreational activity at the park, according to the data.

An NBC News analysis last year found that Washington state’s North Cascades National Park had the highest fatality rate in the country.