Asia Morris & Stephanie Rivera/Long Beach Post
A recent Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) graduate fell about 1,500 feet to his death earlier this week, while attempting to help a friend slipping on a trail as they hiked up Mount Baldy. Garden Grove resident Daniel Nguyen, 23, was pronounced dead at 5:16PM on Tuesday, February 2, according to a release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner office.
Daniel Nguyen fell to his death after trying to help a fellow friend during a hike at Mt. Baldy. (Photo courtesy of Daniel Nguyen’s Instagram profile)
Authorities said Nguyen and two other male friends were hiking in the Devil’s Backbone area of Mount Baldy when he fell down the mountainside in the process of helping his fellow hiker on the trail. Sheriff’s officials were notified of the incident at about 7:40AM and deployed aviation and ground Search and Rescue personnel. Though the aviation team located Nguyen at about 9:00AM, heavy winds kept them from immediately reaching the body.
Ground teams were able to hike down to the body at about 5:00PM, which was located down a north slope into the Middle Fork trail area. The place is popular among experienced hikers, Miller added. She described the area as a rough terrain at a high altitude, and with a lot of snow after recent storms.
Nguyen recently graduated from CSULB with a degree in kinesiology and was an employee at the Long Beach-based Maritime Bicycle Courier.
Upon hearing the news of his passing, friends, family and coworkers have flooded Nguyen’s Facebook profile with fond memories and words regarding his adventurous spirit, kindness and curious and contemplative mind.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help his family with funeral costs. To contribute, click here.
