Hiker Falls Off Cliff at Mohonk Preserve and Dies

Update, Dec. 14, 8:45AM: The Yorktown Central School District superintendent sent an email to parents confirming the 45-year-old man who died while hiking was a teacher for the district, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal. Jeffrey Whalen was placed on administrative leave after he was charged in October with possessing and distributing child pornography.

Update, Dec. 13, 8PM: This story has been updated to include additional information about the deceased. The image has been updated to show a section of the Shawangunk Ridge in the Mohonk Preserve.

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On Saturday afternoon a man fell from a 150-foot cliff while hiking on a trail at Mohonk Preserve.

Time Warner Cable News reports that two hikers called 911 after they heard a loud crash above them and saw a 45-year-old man come tumbling down the side of the cliff. After alerting emergency services, the hikers attempted to administer CPR but say they were too late, as the man had already died from his injuries.

Investigators say the man was taking photographs along the trail when he got too close to the edge and lost his footing. The incident is being treated as an accident.

The man has been identified as Jeffrey Whalen of Yorktown, according to the Times Herald-Record. He was hiking along the Millbrook Ridge Trail when he fell.

Yorktown Central School District Superintendent Ralph Napolitano sent an email to parents confirming Whalen was a teacher in the district, the Poughkeepsie Journal reported. Whalen was placed on administrative leave after he was had been charged in October with possessing and distributing child pornography.