GRAND CANYON, AZ – A deadly incident occurred at the Grand Canyon when Abel Joseph Meija, a 20-year-old visitor from Hickory, North Carolina, fell approximately 400 feet to his death from a scenic overlook.
At around 10:40 a.m. on Wednesday, the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a report of a park visitor falling from the canyon’s rim, a few hundred feet west of Pipe Creek Overlook. This information was revealed in a statement released by the National Park Service on Thursday.
Rangers immediately responded to the call and were able to locate Meija’s body about 400 feet below the canyon’s rim. Authorities confirmed that Meija was near the rim’s edge when he accidentally fell. Details concerning how Meija fell or why he was near the edge have not been disclosed by officials. The incident is under investigation by the National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Pipe Creek Vista, where the incident occurred, is a popular site for park visitors. The lookout can be accessed by a private vehicle or a free shuttle service operating from the Visitor Center Shuttle Bus Terminal.
The Park’s staff stresses the importance of visitor safety, urging all park guests to stay on designated trails and walkways, maintain a safe distance of at least six feet from the rim’s edge, and adhere to the safety measures, such as railings and fences at overlooks.