Man dies in BASE jumping accident in Snohomish County

INDEX, Wash. (AP) — The body of a New Jersey man was recovered after he suffered fatal injuries in a BASE jumping accident on a Washington state mountain, authorities said.

Witnesses saw two men BASE jump from a cliff on Baring Mountain around 12:30 p.m. Thursday, The Everett Herald reported.

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office said the body of a 23-year-old man was recovered the next day on the mountain about 11 miles (18 kilometers) southeast of Index.

BASE jumping stands for building, antenna, span and earth — the four common objects from which BASE jumpers launch a descent using parachutes.

Witnesses reported seeing the man, who was not immediately identified, hit the side of the mountain.

A sheriff’s office helicopter pilot later spotted the man’s parachute on the north side of the mountain, but could not immediately locate him.

Sheriff’s office spokesperson Courtney O’Keefe said four volunteers with Everett Mountain Rescue were flown by helicopter and dropped off near the location of the parachute. After hours hiking up to the location they found the man’s body.

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating the cause of death.