Yosemite Visitor Dies After Being Swept Over Nevada Fall

A visitor's attempt to enjoy the water above a famed Yosemite waterfall ended in tragedy Saturday. Authorities on Tuesday say 22-year-old Josue Baires Alfaro was killed when he was carried over the 594-foot Nevada Fall, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. A rep for the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office says Alfaro fell into the Merced River and was pulled over the falls by the current.

The Los Angeles Times cites a Reddit post from a witness who wrote, "We heard people screaming.. at first I thought it was a bear coming …. But then we saw the girl and another person dragged by the current of the river.. a person nearby handed the girl a branch and she was rescued, but the other person couldn't attach to anything and went with the current to the fall."

The female appears to have been Freesia Gaul, who tells SFGate she was at the park when she saw Alfaro in the water. The former lifeguard, 20, went in after him, only to realize how strong the current was. "I basically thought the chances are zero. I'm not making it out of here." She says the force made swimming impossible, and the rocks were too smooth and slippery to grab onto. Gaul says she managed to grab onto a walking stick extended by a bystander at the very last moment. "Once you get swept in, you can't stand up," she says. "You're fighting a mountain."