Hiker Falls to His Death in Alum Rock Park

A rescue team today removed the body of a man who fell to his death from a cliff in a remote part of San Jose's Alum Rock Park that is considered dangerous and closed to the public, authorities said.

The San Jose Search and Rescue team, a volunteer group, removed the body from the park at about 3:30 p.m., San Jose fire Capt. Reggie Williams said.

The Santa Clara County medical examiner's office is investigating the cause of the man's death and the San Jose Police Department is treating it as an accident, Williams said.

The man fell from 130 to 170 feet off a cliff before a park ranger located his body at about 1:50 p.m. Sunday, Williams said. The ranger searched the section of the park based on details from a missing person report filed Saturday with the Santa Clara Police Department, Williams said.

"I believe he has been identified as a hiker," Williams said of the victim. The man's body was located in the far eastern side of the park that is closed to the public because it is very steep and too dangerous to hike there, park ranger Roger Abe said.

"There used to be trails there but they eroded years ago," Abe said. "The terrain is very dangerous." The park has signs clearly telling the public not to go to that area, which does not even have a name to further discourage people from going there, Abe said.

Alum Rock Park was created in 1872 and "there are a lot trails that no longer exist," Abe said.

"The whole park is in a steep canyon."

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