NEW HAVEN - Just after 5:30 Sunday afternoon, frantic witnesses called 911 saying a man had fallen from the south overlook in New Haven Haven’s West Rock Ridge State Park.
“It’s an approximately 30-year-old white male,” said Col. Kyle Overturf of the Environmental Conservation Police. “Other than that, we don't have any other information at this time.” The victim had no identification on or near him when he was discovered after a search that an estimated 20 to 30 minutes. Sources tell Fox 61 the victim slipped and fell after dancing on the edge.
“Based on our assessment, we are estimating that the victim was about 250 to 300 feet from the top,” said Asst. Chief Matthew Marcarelli of the New Haven Fire Dept.
That’s how far he had fallen from the overlook to where his body was discovered in a tree just before darkness Sunday night.
“We ask people to stay on marked trails,” said Overturf. “If there are railings, if there are fences, respect those boundaries. There's a reason they are there.”
The victim was brought to the top of the overlook in a rescue stretcher this morning and taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Farmington. A couple of college students stood close to the edge, near the fall spot, this afternoon.
“Honestly, I’m a thrill seeker,” said Riley Casey, from Shelton, who is a freshman at nearby Southern Connecticut State University. “I definitely thought about it on the way down (to the edge). I don’t want to be the next person to do that.”
For Elijah Spann, who lives across from the entrance to the park, this fatal fall brings back memories.
“Back in 1972, I lost my uncle. They found him deceased up there one night,” said a somber Spann.
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the lead investigators, say this is the first death, related to a fall, in at least 10 years at West Rock.
Col. Overturf had more advice for hikers, saying, “Make sure where you are hiking you know where you are. You know where the trails are and that you have a cell phone with you.”
The New Haven Fire Department is providing counseling services to those who took part in the attempted rescue and recovery of the victim.
While officials are not certain if the victim had been rock climbing at West Rock, it was pointed out that rock climbing is legal there. However, it is strongly discouraged. Rock climbing is not permitted in New Haven’s East Rock Park. The difference is due to more instability in the rocks at East Rock.
