Victim of Apparent Fall From Sea Cliff Is Found by Student

The body of a man was discovered Monday at the bottom of a cliff in Dana Point by a 16-year-old boy on a class field trip, authorities said.

The man was apparently hiking in the Headlands area near the Ocean Institute when he fell about 150 feet Sunday night or early Monday, said Jim Amormino, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

“It’s a very dangerous area, and I’m not sure if he [was] familiar with the area,” Amormino said.

The identity of the 33-year-old man from Idaho was not released pending notification of relatives.

John Goodwin was among 32 students from St. Monica Academy in Pasadena who were exploring tide pools and rocks when he saw the body. A metal walking stick was nearby, along with shoes and socks.

“I thought it was a homeless guy taking a nap,” said Goodwin, of Pasadena. “Then I saw the gash on his head, and it freaked me out.”

His teacher, Darren Bradley, checked for a pulse, pulled out the man’s wallet to look for identification, then called police.

“It was our first time out here,” said Bradley, 33, of South Pasadena. “It was pretty eventful.”