Seaside man posing for photo in tree falls to death when limb breaks

ARCH CAPE, Ore. (KTVZ) – A Seaside man who climbed a tree to pose for a photo along a cliff along the Oregon coast fell 100 feet to his death after a limb broke Sunday afternoon, Oregon State Police said.

Troopers and other first responders were called to Oswald West State Park in Tillamook County shortly before 2 p.m. on the reported fall from a cliff into the ocean at the Devil’s Cauldron Trail.

A preliminary investigation found that two people had walked down the trail to take a photo at a cliffside viewpoint, troopers said.

Steven Gastelum, 43, climbed a tree on the cliff’s edge to pose for the photo, at which time the limb broke and he fell about 100 feet into the ocean.

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew and Nehalem Bay Fire Department jet skis assisted in finding Gastelum and bringing him to shore. The man was taken by ambulance to Tillamook Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, OSP reported.