Hiker dies at Breakneck Ridge in Putnam
Jason Kindopp, 48, was found at the bottom of a cliff.
Matt SpillanePHILIPSTOWN - Authorities are investigating the death of a New York City man who apparently fell while hiking Breakneck Ridge recently.
The body of Jason Kindopp, 48, was found on July 17 down the side of the cliff, tangled in thick brush and trees near the Route 9D tunnel under the mountain, said Randy Simons, spokesman for the state Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation.
Breakneck straddles the border between Philipstown in Putnam County and Fishkill in Dutchess County. The popular mountain is considered one of the more challenging hikes in the region.
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State park police, Department of Environmental Conservation Rangers and local first responders were at the scene, where crews rappelled about 30 feet down the side of the cliff "into extremely dangerous and tough terrain" to get Kindopp's body, Simons said.
Simons said the circumstances of Kindopp's death are under investigation, and the Putnam County Coroner's Office is determining his cause of death.
Twitter: @MattSpillane