Israeli teen falls to death in Yosemite trying to take a selfie

A teenager who was visiting from Israel died Wednesday in Yosemite National Park while reportedly trying to take a selfie.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry identified the teen as 18-yearold Tomer Frankfurter, and local sources confirmed the death.

Frankfurter apparently lost his balance while trying to take a photo of himself at the edge of Nevada Fall before falling 820 feet to his death, the teen’s mother told The Times of Israel.

Nevada Fall is about a 5-6 hour hike from Yosemite Valley, often along the route toward the famed Half Dome hike.

Yosemite National Park is a popular international destination.

Frankfurter was on a twomonth trip to the United States prior to joining Israel’s army, his mother told Israel’s Channel 10 news.

The ministry is coordinating the transfer of his body back to Israel for burial, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The outlet also reports that Israelis youngsters often take trips to the United States, South America or the Far East before and after 2-to 3year service in the Israel Defense Forces.

There have been six deaths in Yosemite in the past five months.

The body of hiker Scott Tenczar was found in Yosemite in August.

A couple of days earlier, the body of missing park ranger John Belvins Cogdell III also was found dead in Yosemite.

In June, two rock climbers — Jason Wells, 46, of Boulder, Colorado, and Tim Klien, 42, of Palmdale — fell to their deaths while scaling El Capitan in Yosemite.

And in May, 29-year-old Ashish Penugonda of New Jersey died using the Half Dome cables after slipping and falling from the cables section.