Pacheco Pass Fall Kills One Hollister Hiker and Injures Another

A rock climbing adventure on Pacheco Pass Highway resulted in a fall that killed one hiker and injured another on Sunday in unincorporated Santa Clara County.

Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the area near the 14000 block of Pacheco Pass Highway at 4:38 p.m. and, "Located one of the male hikers deceased near the bottom of a cliff," Sgt. Jose Cardoza of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office wrote in a media release.

"Deputies, with the assistance of the California Department of Forestry (CDF), were dispatched to the area on a report that the two hikers had fallen, resulting in major injuries to one of the hikers," Cardoza wrote. "The other hiker was eventually transported to a hospital for his injuries."

The two "hiker enthusiasts" reportedly drove to the Bell Station of the highway, where they began climbing cliffs and rocks at around 9 a.m.

The identities of the hikers are being withheld, Cardoza wrote, but both are adult males in their early 20s.

Law enforcement is currently investigating the death of the perished hiker, Cardoza wrote. The identities of both hikers are being withheld until the Santa Clara County Coroner's Office releases its report. 

Anyone with information about the hikers is asked to contact Detective Sergeants Ryan Elder or Julian Quinonez at the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office at (408) 808-4500 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 808-4431.

For updated information, read "Deputies Search Cliffs for Body of Dead Hollister Hiker."