Share this article:

A young man died Wednesday when he jumped about 50 feet into a pond of water at the bottom of Hermit Falls in the San Gabriel Mountains, and two other hikers suffered minor injuries trying to rescue him from the frigid pool.

Sheriff’s officials said the man, identified by the coroner’s office as Jesse Khan Yuth, 18, of Signal Hill, leapt about 50 feet from a rock into the pool at the bottom of Hermit Falls at about 9 a.m. When he surfaced, there was blood coming from his nose.

Two people who were with him jumped into the frigid water to try to rescue him, to no avail. Yuth was pronounced dead at the scene. His would-be rescuers were taken to a hospital to be treated for hypothermia.

It was the second such death at the falls in the last 16 months.

In November 2013, a 19-year-old college student died after making a similar jump from the top of the falls.

In that case, a group of 13 college students was hiking near Hermit Flats when some of them decided to jump into the pool. Cal State Fullerton student Kevin La, 19, of Monterey Park, died from the jump.

— City News Service

Cliff jumper killed at Hermit Falls in San Gabriel Mountains was last modified: by

>> Want to read more stories like this? Get our Free Daily Newsletters Here!

Follow us: