A 20-year-old tourist from Kentucky died after falling 177 feet from South Falls at Silver Falls State Park in Oregon. The Oregon State Police reported that Zachary Mertens of Burlington, Kentucky, entered a closed-off area near the waterfall's edge late Monday night to pose for photographs.
Mertens slipped and fell into the water below. Park officials attempted a rescue, but he was pronounced dead before they could reach him. A search and rescue team was dispatched to recover his body from the base of the falls.
Silver Falls State Park is located approximately 50 miles south of Portland. South Falls is considered a prominent feature of the park, with a trail allowing visitors to walk behind the cascade. It is unclear if Mertens was staying at the park's campground or other accommodations at the time of the incident. An investigation into the fall is ongoing, and authorities have not yet released further details.
Mertens was a basketball player who had played for the Bellevue High School team and club basketball for Moss Elite. He is survived by his parents, Jason and Alicia Mertens, and his older brother, RJ Mertens.