Man Rescued After Falling 125 Feet Off Palisades Cliff

A 45-year-old New York man was in stable condition after he fell 125 feet off the Palisades cliffs at Rockefeller Lookout in Englewood Cliffs Sunday night, police said.

Palisades Interstate Parkway police launched a search after a family member reported the man had tumbled off the cliff around 6:30 p.m., Acting Police Chief Michael Coppola said in a statement. The injured man was conscious and able to tell family where he was when he fell.

“Officers, using verbal communication from above, were able to pinpoint the victim’s location to an area just north of the lookout itself,” Coppola said.

The East Bergen Rappel Team, which includes Fort Lee firefighters, worked for nearly three hours to hoist the man up before he was rushed to Hackensack University Medical Center. Coppola said the Chestnut Ridge resident suffered non-life threatening traumatic injuries.

“Investigation shows that the victim had walked east from the marked trail approximately 50 feet through brush and trees to reach the cliff’s edge,” the chief said. “The cause of him going over the edge is still under investigation by detectives however no one else is believed to be involved at this time other than the victim acting on his own.”