The 19-year-old who died on a gusty Mount Baldy after falling hundreds of feet during a hike was identified Wednesday as a Bay Area college student.
Santa Clara University freshman Marcus Alexander Casanova, originally from Orange County, was hiking with a buddy Monday when he plunged 500 feet near “Devil’s Backbone.”
Casanova’s friend called for help, prompting a rescue mission by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and Los Angeles County, who located the hiker by helicopter along with two other dead people on the trail, who have not yet been identified.
Blistery high winds made it impossible for rescuers to lift Casanova from the mountain, and instead an air medic was hoisted down, who confirmed that all three people were deceased.
