The BASE jumper who died after leaping from a 700-foot cliff in Utah has been identified as Gabe Reilly, a 27-year-old Salt Lake City firefighter with extensive experience in the extreme sport.
The Salt Lake City Fire Department said Reilly, who had served with the agency for four years, was killed Sunday morning after his wingsuit failed during a jump from a ledge near Millville Canyon in Cache County.
“Gabe was known for his infectious smile, kind-heartedness, and his free-spirited nature,” the department wrote in a heartfelt social media tribute. “Gabe’s commitment to the department, his fellow firefighters, and the community will not be forgotten.”
Reilly followed his father into the fire service. His father retired from the Salt Lake City Fire Department in 2024.
According to Cache County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Doyle Peck, Reilly was among a group of eight to 10 people who launched from the cliff around 9 a.m. Sunday. At some point during the jump, “something went wrong.”
Reilly “did not have enough lift with his wingsuit,” Peck said, describing the flying-squirrel-like suit used by the jumper.
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“He impacted the ground at a high rate of speed resulting in his death,” Peck said.
Peck added that Reilly was experienced in this type of activity.
Millville Canyon, known for its steep cliffs resembling those of the Grand Canyon, lies about 45 miles north of Ogden and is a popular destination for BASE jumpers, officials said.
The term BASE refers to buildings, antennas, spans and earth—the four types of fixed structures from which participants jump using a wingsuit or parachute.
Reilly’s death comes only months after two BASE jumpers were killed in Utah in June. One of them was daredevil Andy Lewis, 39, who gained widespread attention for performing during Madonna’s 2012 Super Bowl halftime show.
Lewis and another 50-year-old man died after plunging to the ground during a botched tandem jump in Mineral Bottom, a remote desert region near the Utah-Colorado border.
