The National Park Service has opened an investigation into the death of a 22-year-old man who was swept over Nevada Fall, a 594-foot (181-meter) waterfall in Yosemite National Park, on Saturday. The victim has been identified as Josue Baires Alfaro by local authorities.
Witness recounts rescue attempt
Freesia Gaul, a fellow park visitor, was taking a photo when she saw Alfaro in the Merced River. She told SFGate that he did not appear to be a strong swimmer. Gaul, a former volunteer lifeguard, jumped into the water to try to rescue him.
“People see calm water, but they don’t realize that under that there’s a huge undercurrent,” Gaul said. “When you see someone like that, when you make direct eye contact with someone who you know is going to go over, you can’t turn around.”
In the turbulent waters, Gaul was unable to reach Alfaro and struggled to stay afloat. She later told SFGate that she thought her survival odds were bleak until a bystander extended a walking stick, which she grabbed to avoid being swept over the waterfall herself.
Park safety warnings
The National Park Service has warned visitors to use “extreme caution” near any flowing water or wet rock in the area. Yosemite National Park, located about three and a half hours east of San Francisco, attracts approximately 4 million visitors annually and is a popular destination for hiking, water activities, and cycling.
This incident is not the first deadly accident at the park. In 2013, a 19-year-old from California died after swimming in the Merced River and being swept downstream to the edge of Nevada Fall. In 2018, an Israeli teenager died after falling 800 feet (244 meters) down a cliff while taking a selfie near the same waterfall.
The National Park Service continues to investigate Alfaro’s death, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
