Man Dies, Second Injured in Fall From Ocean Cliff

A man tumbled to his death and another was critically injured when they fell about 100 feet from a San Pedro cliff overlooking the ocean after a night that may have involved drinking, authorities said Saturday.

The two men, who were not identified, were found about 10:30 a.m. beneath the cliff at Point Fermin Park in the South Bay area, where the accident occurred either Friday night or Saturday morning, said Los Angeles Police Sgt. Bill Sweet.

One man was pronounced dead at the scene. His companion, severely injured and suffering from hypothermia, was airlifted to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Sweet said.

The men probably fell off the cliff by accident, Sweet said. “There doesn’t appear to be foul play involved.”

A passer-by who discovered the bodies said he was told by the injured man that the two had been drinking, Sweet said. Police investigators, however, were unable to speak with the injured man. Hospital officials said he was in critical condition.

The men probably fell after they climbed over a 4-foot-high cement wall designed to discourage people from straying too close to the edge of the cliff, Sweet said. From this point, park visitors have a scenic view of Los Angeles Harbor and the Pacific Ocean.

Police said the two men were in their 20s, but city Fire Department officials believed the two were teen-agers.