Three individuals have been convicted of illegal BASE jumping on separate occassions at Yosemite National Park, officials from the park have announced. The BASE jumpers were cited for incidents that occurred in 2020 and 2024, with all three individuals pleading guilty.
Christopher I. Durell and Joshua A. Iosue jumped from North Dome on July 15, 2024. Park rangers were notified of the incident and were able to locate Durell, who admitted to jumping at the time. He was sentenced in September to 18 months of unsupervised probation, $600 in fines, and 40 hours of community service.
Iosue, meanwhile, was given his sentence earlier this month. He received two days in jail, 24 months of unsupervised probation, and $2,510 in fines.
The third BASE jumper was identified by park officials as David A. Nunn, who jumped from El Capitan back in 2020. He reportedly endured an equipment malfunction and crashed into the wall of El Capitan, requiring a rescue from National Parks Services. He was sentenced in mid-September to two days in jail, one year of unsupervised probation, $760 in fines, and restitution of $458.77 to cover the cost of his rescue. Nunn also had a previous conviction for BASE Jumping back in 1998, which he pleaded guilty to.
“We do not tolerate illegal activity in Yosemite National Park,” Yosemite National Park Superintendent Raymond McPadden said in a press release. “Our law enforcement rangers remain efficient, effective, and vigilant 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. These convictions demonstrate the professionalism and dedication of Yosemite’s protection team in upholding federal regulations and ensuring the safety of both visitors and first responders.”
The announcement from park officials comes following recent news of illegal BASE jumping at Yosemite amid the United States government shutdown. The shutdown began on October 1, leaving national parks understaffed in the fallout.
In an interview with Newsweek, a director at the Association of National Parks Rangers said, “It appears that the base jumpers and squatters are taking advantage of the significantly reduced NPS staff during the shutdown. These are exactly the kinds of things that we knew were likely to happen if the recommendations of our several organizations to close the parks during the shutdown was ignored. I guess we can say, ‘We told you so.’”
