Fatal plunge at Yosemite came as teen took selfie, report says
An Israeli teen’s deadly fall in Yosemite National Park, reportedly while taking a selfie Wednesday, occurred at the top of Nevada Fall, authorities said Thursday.
Tomer Frankfurter, 18, of Jerusalem dropped from the top of the cliff beside the 594foot waterfall on the Merced River, according to the Mariposa County coroner’s office.
Park officials are investigating what led to the fatal fall, but a report in the Times of Israel quoted a television interview with the victim’s mother saying Frankfurter fell from a cliff while trying to take a photograph of himself.
Nevada Fall is one of a handful of well-known waterfalls in Yosemite National Park and a feature on what many consider the park’s signature hike. The waterfall is 3.5 miles one way from Yosemite Valley and it includes a steep climb up the Mist Trail — a collection of massive granite steps that pass Vernal Fall, which often drenches hikers.
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Frankfurter’s mother, who was not identified, confirmed the death along with Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She said her son was taking a two-month trip in the United States before joining the Israeli army.
Scott Gediman, a Yosemite National Park spokesman, said Thursday that the death is under investigation and no further information was available.
Andrea Stewart, Mariposa County assistant coroner, said a pathologist has not yet examined Frankfurter’s body. The Times of Israel reported that his body would be returned to Israel for burial.
Falling deaths from Yosemite’s soaring granite cliffs and rocks are not uncommon, and signs posted at observation areas atop many of the park’s waterfalls caution visitors to stay out of the water and away from the edges.
Frankfurter’s death is the third in the park this summer.
In June, two climbers plunged to their deaths from El Capitan in Yosemite Valley while using a climbing technique know as simul-climbing. Chronicle staff writer Lauren Hernandez contributed
to this report.