(csi/cgb) – Three people have been convicted of illegal jumping in Yosemite National Park in recent weeks, the park announced Friday.
“We do not tolerate any illegal activity in Yosemite National Park,” Yosemite Superintendent Ray McPadden said. “Our law enforcement guards remain efficient, effective and vigilant 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”
According to the National Park Service, On July 15, 2024, park rangers received a report that two people had jumped from an area near the North Dome. They located Christopher I. Durrell at Mirror Lake, and he confessed to BASE jumping from the ceramic wall. BASE jumping is an extreme sport whose name comes from an abbreviation for the things jumpers jump from: buildings, antennas, spans (also known as bridges) and the ground (also known as ramps).
Dorrell pleaded guilty and was sentenced in September to probation, fines and community service with an organization that supports the National Park Service. His primary parachute and wingsuit were confiscated.
Another BASE jumper reported in July fled on foot, but was later identified as Joshua A., rangers said. He was cited on July 17, 2025, and eventually pleaded guilty.
He was sentenced in October to two days in jail, two years’ probation, and a $2,510 fine. He was banned from Yosemite National Park while on probation.
According to officials, a third person, David A., jumped. Noon, from El Capitan five years ago on July 21, 2020. He suffered a severe equipment failure and crashed into the wall of El Capitan before landing at the base. He was rescued by NPS personnel.
According to the park service, Nunn, who was previously convicted of the same crime in 1998, pleaded guilty.
On September 16, 2025, he was sentenced to two days in jail, one year of unsupervised probation, a fine of $760, and restitution of $458.77 to cover the cost of his rescue. He was banned from Yosemite while on probation and ordered to confiscate his parachute and belt.
BASE jumping in Yosemite has been illegal since the mid-1980s.