BASE jumper plummets to his death after wingsuit failure in Utah canyon

A BASE jumper died in Utah over the weekend after his wingsuit malfunctioned, Salt Lake City authorities confirmed Monday.

Gabe Reilly, 27, was a firefighter with the city’s fire department, his colleagues wrote in a Facebook statement.

“Gabe proudly served the Salt Lake City Fire Department for the past four years, following in the footsteps of his father, who retired from SLCFD in 2024,” it reads.

“Gabe was known for his infectious smile, kind-heartedness, and his free-spirited nature. Gabe’s commitment to the department, his fellow firefighters, and the community will not be forgotten,” the statement continued.

The accident happened near Leetham’s Hollow in Millville Canyon, in northern Utah, a popular BASE jumping location known for its mountainous landscapes, local media outlets reported.

NBC News said he jumped from about 700 feet and described the area where Reilly was found as having “walls and cliffs not unlike the Grand Canyon’s.”

Cache County Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Doyle Peck told the U.S. outlet that search and rescue crews were called to Leetham’s Hollow at 9:10 a.m. Sunday, where he was declared dead at the scene.

“On today’s jump, something went wrong and he did not have enough lift with his wingsuit,” Peck said. “He impacted the ground at a high rate of speed, resulting in his death.”

Global News reached out to the Cache County Sheriff’s Department for comment but did not receive a response.

This is not the first BASE jumping fatality in Utah to occur this year.

In June, Andy Lewis, an extreme athlete and daredevil best known for performing onstage with Madonna at the 2012 Super Bowl, and another individual died in a tandem jump, the Associated Press reported at the time of the incident.

Grand County Sheriff Jamison Wiggins confirmed the other person who was killed was Danny Joe Kregle, a 68-year-old father and grandfather who was described by a family member as an accomplished businessman.

Lewis owned BASE Jump Moab, a business that offered tandem jumps to inexperienced thrill-seekers who would be harnessed to a guide wearing the parachute.

Promotional videos on the company’s social media show people stepping off the edges of cliffs and skyscrapers and briefly freefalling before their parachutes open.

BASE jumping is a dangerous sport that involves parachuting to the ground after jumping from a tall fixed object such as a building, a bridge or a desert cliff overlooking a deep canyon.

There have been 15 BASE jumping fatalities in 2026, according to the BASE fatality list, and 548 deaths since official tracking records began in 1981.