A 43-year-old man from Seaside, Oregon, has died after falling approximately 100 feet from a cliff on the Oregon coast while posing for a photograph in a tree, authorities have confirmed.
Steven Gastelum was hiking along the Devil's Cauldron Overlook Trail in Oswald West State Park when he climbed a tree to take a photo. A branch broke, causing him to fall into the Pacific Ocean, according to Oregon State Police.
Officials reported that the tree was near a barrier warning visitors to stay away from the edge. Captain Tim Fox of the Oregon State Police said Gastelum was on the other side of the barrier when he fell.
The Coast Guard and Nehalem Bay Fire Department launched a rescue operation using jet skis and a helicopter. Gastelum was recovered from the water and taken to a hospital in Tillamook, where he was pronounced dead.
This incident follows a similar tragedy earlier this year in Grand Canyon National Park, where a 59-year-old woman died after stepping off the edge while taking photographs with her family.
