USC kicker Danelo found dead at bottom of cliff

[Holmes_Fans]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2722825

[johngateswhiteley]

:cry (i can't believe it)

[samikeyp]

Oh wow....that is horrible.


His family and Trojan Nation have my full condolences.

[Horry For 3!]

I just saw this on ESPN right now.


RIP.

[T-Pain]

wow, i hope he was just climbing mountains and not suicide

[Fillmoe]

damn its a cold world out there.....

one day you here next day you gone.... happened twice within weeks......

RIP my dude... you in a betta place now

[Willinsa]

wow, i hope he was just climbing mountains and not suicide

I'm thinking the same thing.

[KewlKat00]

i heard this on an sc message board earlier, but i held out hope. i wonder what really happened. we'll miss him.

:(

ryan francis and mario danelo in one year. two solid guys. two huge losses for the trojan family.

[Chris Childs]

I know the government behind this

[tlongII]

That sucks.

[KewlKat00]

some tidbits from http://www.insidesocal.com/usc/

- USC kicker Mario Danelo found dead today of an apparent suicide in San Pedro. Danelo's body was found at 4:30 p.m. at Point Fermin Park and he had been missing for a day and rigor mortis already set in when authorities discovered him. The man appeared to have suffered traumatic injuries and was wearing street clothes, police said. Police planned to use a helicopter to remove the body.

- About 40 firefighters responded to the scene after the USC kicker's body was found about 200 yards west of the Point Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro. Fire crews then assisted police down the 120-foot cliff where the body was located.

- This statement was just released by USC sports information director Tim Tessalone, speaking on behalf of USC head football coach Pete Carroll, who is out of town: "We're stunned to hear about this tragedy. This is a great loss. Mario was a wonderful young man of high character and he was one heck of a kicker. He was a key ingredient in our success these past few years. The thoughts and prayers of the entire Trojan Family go out to the Danelo family on this sad, sad day."

- Mario Danelo's roommate, USC wide receiver Chris McFoy, was shocked by tonight's news. "It was unexpected,’’ McFoy said. "He’s a funny guy. A warm, loving guy. It’s a shock something like this would happen.’’

[KewlKat00]

mario had just made it on letterman's top 10 thursday night.

Top Ten Signs You're Watching Too Much College Football.

1. In bed, your wife says, "Get a Trojan" -- you come back with USC Kicker Mario Danelo

[johngateswhiteley]

some tidbits from http://www.insidesocal.com/usc/

- USC kicker Mario Danelo found dead today of an apparent suicide in San Pedro. Danelo's body was found at 4:30 p.m. at Point Fermin Park and he had been missing for a day and rigor mortis already set in when authorities discovered him. The man appeared to have suffered traumatic injuries and was wearing street clothes, police said. Police planned to use a helicopter to remove the body.

- About 40 firefighters responded to the scene after the USC kicker's body was found about 200 yards west of the Point Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro. Fire crews then assisted police down the 120-foot cliff where the body was located.

- This statement was just released by USC sports information director Tim Tessalone, speaking on behalf of USC head football coach Pete Carroll, who is out of town: "We're stunned to hear about this tragedy. This is a great loss. Mario was a wonderful young man of high character and he was one heck of a kicker. He was a key ingredient in our success these past few years. The thoughts and prayers of the entire Trojan Family go out to the Danelo family on this sad, sad day."

- Mario Danelo's roommate, USC wide receiver Chris McFoy, was shocked by tonight's news. "It was unexpected,’’ McFoy said. "He’s a funny guy. A warm, loving guy. It’s a shock something like this would happen.’’

i can't believe he would commit suicide...must have been an accident or something.

[KewlKat00]

i can't believe he would commit suicide...must have been an accident or something.

same here. who knows at this point. i wouldn't rule an accident out because the winds have been ridiculous since thursday. i know thursday night there were frequent strong gusts, some up to 70 mph.

it's just a sad story. i was looking forward to him going out in style next year. damn. fight on.

[Brutalis]

RIP

Don't drink if you get stupid is the lesson.

[johngateswhiteley]

same here. who knows at this point. i wouldn't rule an accident out because the winds have been ridiculous since thursday. i know thursday night there were frequent strong gusts, some up to 70 mph.

it's just a sad story. i was looking forward to him going out in style next year. damn. fight on.

...yeah.

[johngateswhiteley]

RIP

Don't drink if you get stupid is the lesson.

...:rolleyes...sprinkler, brown shirt, sandwich. see i can do it too.

[KewlKat00]

RIP

Don't drink if you get stupid is the lesson.

how do you know what the lesson is if we don't even know what exactly happened? it's all speculation at this point.

[KewlKat00]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-danelo7jan07,0,6300559.story?coll=la-home-headlines

The body of USC kicker Mario Danelo was found Saturday at the bottom of a cliff in San Pedro, according to Los Angeles Police Dept. officials.

Danelo, 21, was found west of the Point Fermin lighthouse on Saturday afternoon. LAPD detectives were still investigating late Saturday night.

"I have no indication per se that it was a criminal event," said Lt. David Pierson, commanding officer of the LAPD Harbor Division detectives. "But we exhaust all leads to ensure that we're making the right categorization of the case."

Asked if it was being investigated as a suicide, Pierson said, "I don't have anything to indicate that it was that."

Pierson said a person flying a remote-control airplane in Point Fermin Park noticed something at the bottom of the cliff and a friend traversed a trail down to the beach and discovered the body.

The fire department was contacted at 4:55 p.m., Pierson said.

"We're conducting an investigation at this time to exactly determine how it got there, whether it was an accident or what's going on," Pierson said.

Pierson said investigators had information that indicated Danelo was out with friends Friday night and that Danelo was last seen around midnight.

Asked if Danelo had been drinking, Pierson said, "We have no information to indicate whether he was drinking or not drinking. I just don't know at this time."

Atop the cliff are signs forbidding entrance and warnings about unstable, slippery surfaces and steep drops. A bouquet of flowers and candles were left at the scene by onlookers.

Danelo is the son of former NFL kicker Joe Danelo. He was the Trojans' starting kicker the last two seasons after making the team as a walk-on in 2003.

Danelo made 15 of 16 field-goal attempts this season and converted 44 of 48 extra-point attempts. He kicked two 26-yard field goals in the Trojans' 32-18 Rose Bowl victory over Michigan and made two of four extra-point attempts.

USC Coach Pete Carroll was out of town and could not be reached for comment.

"We're stunned to hear about this tragedy," a USC spokesman said in a statement on behalf of Carroll. "This is a great loss. Mario was a wonderful young man of high character and he was one heck of a kicker. He was a key ingredient in our success these past few years.

"The thoughts and prayers of the entire Trojan Family go out to the Danelo family on this sad, sad day."

A woman reached by phone at the Danelo home did not wish to comment.

USC linebacker Dallas Sartz said Danelo would be remembered for his upbeat personality and dependable kicking.

"I just remember Mario was the guy who always had a smile on his face and would always cheer you up," said Sartz, a team captain. "He had a great personality.

"This is really tough for everyone to swallow right now. I just still can't believe it."

Danelo, was an All-City player at San Pedro High. He redshirted at USC in 2003 and did not have any attempts in 2004.

Danelo, however, earned a scholarship in the fall of 2005 and had a record-setting season for the Trojans. Danelo made 11 of 12 field-goal attempts and converted 83 of 86 extra-point attempts, setting NCAA records for attempts and PATs.

Danelo is the second USC athlete to die in the last eight months. Ryan Francis, a point guard for the basketball team, was shot to death in May in Baton Rouge, La.

Staff writer Rebecca Trounson contributed to this report.

[KewlKat00]

http://www.dailybreeze.com/sports/articles/5182371.html?showAll=y&c=y

'He was a local hero to everybody here'
USC kicker Mario Danelo remembered in his hometown of San Pedro for his athletic talent and outgoing personality.
By Bill Cizek
Sports columnist

It was the kind of huddle Mario Danelo would have appreciated.

More than 2,000 family, friends, past and present teammates, school administrators, football fans and residents turned out on a bright, brisk day Friday to mourn the USC kicker, whose roots run deep in the tight-knit San Pedro community.

So many came for Danelo's funeral Mass at Mary Star of the Sea Church that the 1,200-seat sanctuary was overwhelmed, with hundreds listening to eulogies through loudspeakers outside.

"This is unbelievable," said broadcaster Petros Papadakis, a San Pedro resident and former USC football player. "I've been to hundreds of funerals at this church and I've never seen this many people. I've never seen Seventh Street closed down (by police).

"He was a local hero to everybody here. I ordered a pizza (Monday night) and the pizza guy was crying at the door. I had to invite him in. Everybody's feeling it and everybody's talking about it. He was a good kid, loved by his teammates and everybody in town. That's evident by today."

At 9:30 a.m., an hour before the Mass was to begin Friday, mourners were "shoulder to shoulder" in the church, said USC Sports Information Director Tim Tessalone, describing the scene for reporters who were excluded from the service.

"And there's every age group in the church," Tessalone said. "This is pretty awesome, the outpouring of love."

"This is kind of the way Mario would have wanted it -- to have the team there and all his buds," said Will Collins, USC's long snapper and one of Danelo's closest friends.

Joey Danelo told the crowd his younger brother "walked on at USC with nothing more than ambition."

Not only did he win a scholarship, but he achieved more success than he dreamed about. Although his college football career was cut short, Danelo had been the NCAA's most accurate active field goal kicker, having made 24 of 26 attempts. In 2005, he set the NCAA record for PAT attempts (86) and conversions (83).

Those who knew Danelo, 21, say he was even more consistent off the field. He was hard-working, bright, loving, polite and all Pedro. The son of former NFL kicker and dockworker Joe and Emily Danelo was the youngest of three brothers, all former San Pedro High football players.

He had a smile for everybody, a hug for friends and, embarrassing as it might have been for his closest buddies, a big, wet kiss when he greeted those in his inner circle.

"If you offered to shake hands, he'd slap it away and say, 'C'mon in for the real thing,' and give you a hug. Or he might lick your face up and down, give you a wet kiss," brother Joey said in his poignant, voice-cracking eulogy.

"Mario was just a good solid kid, and despite his achievements and records he never had an ego," said Bob Franco, assistant chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department. "He got where he was not by his size (5-foot-10, 200 pounds), but by his hard work and perseverance.

"It's truly a loss to the community. He was a homeboy who made good. Young kids looked up to him."

Franco was at Point Fermin Park on Saturday when his friend for the last two decades, Joe Danelo, identified the body of his son, who had plunged 120 feet off a cliff.

"It was probably the toughest call I've ever been on, it was so close to home," he said. "I felt weak in the knees. I've seen plenty of similar circumstances, but none have hit as close to home as this."

USC coach Pete Carroll also eulogized Danelo, saying "he leaves us with a tremendous gift about the life we lead -- that you've got to live it. Get living it. He lived it big time. He loved the life he was leading. He didn't miss a moment of it. He lived life big and fun and fast."

Carroll also took an opportunity to lead a rousing minute-long cheer for the record-breaking kicker, helping mourners release some of their pent-up anguish. He promised to keep Danelo "alive and well" at USC forever.

Sam Anno, the special teams coach at USC, would like nothing better.

"He had a great level of having fun and then being serious and you can't ask a player more than that," Anno said in an interview. "Everybody is trying to find that balance ... but he had it down. And when it was time and the pressure was on, I would have nobody else out there kicking a field goal."

Anno said it was important to celebrate Danelo's life, and try to move on.

"You see a mom and dad so sad and so broke," Anno said. "A mother and father lost their child and we lost a teammate. And it's really hard."

[johngateswhiteley]

http://www.dailybreeze.com/sports/articles/5182371.html?showAll=y&c=y

'He was a local hero to everybody here'
USC kicker Mario Danelo remembered in his hometown of San Pedro for his athletic talent and outgoing personality.
By Bill Cizek
Sports columnist

It was the kind of huddle Mario Danelo would have appreciated.

More than 2,000 family, friends, past and present teammates, school administrators, football fans and residents turned out on a bright, brisk day Friday to mourn the USC kicker, whose roots run deep in the tight-knit San Pedro community.

So many came for Danelo's funeral Mass at Mary Star of the Sea Church that the 1,200-seat sanctuary was overwhelmed, with hundreds listening to eulogies through loudspeakers outside.

"This is unbelievable," said broadcaster Petros Papadakis, a San Pedro resident and former USC football player. "I've been to hundreds of funerals at this church and I've never seen this many people. I've never seen Seventh Street closed down (by police).

"He was a local hero to everybody here. I ordered a pizza (Monday night) and the pizza guy was crying at the door. I had to invite him in. Everybody's feeling it and everybody's talking about it. He was a good kid, loved by his teammates and everybody in town. That's evident by today."

At 9:30 a.m., an hour before the Mass was to begin Friday, mourners were "shoulder to shoulder" in the church, said USC Sports Information Director Tim Tessalone, describing the scene for reporters who were excluded from the service.

"And there's every age group in the church," Tessalone said. "This is pretty awesome, the outpouring of love."

"This is kind of the way Mario would have wanted it -- to have the team there and all his buds," said Will Collins, USC's long snapper and one of Danelo's closest friends.

Joey Danelo told the crowd his younger brother "walked on at USC with nothing more than ambition."

Not only did he win a scholarship, but he achieved more success than he dreamed about. Although his college football career was cut short, Danelo had been the NCAA's most accurate active field goal kicker, having made 24 of 26 attempts. In 2005, he set the NCAA record for PAT attempts (86) and conversions (83).

Those who knew Danelo, 21, say he was even more consistent off the field. He was hard-working, bright, loving, polite and all Pedro. The son of former NFL kicker and dockworker Joe and Emily Danelo was the youngest of three brothers, all former San Pedro High football players.

He had a smile for everybody, a hug for friends and, embarrassing as it might have been for his closest buddies, a big, wet kiss when he greeted those in his inner circle.

"If you offered to shake hands, he'd slap it away and say, 'C'mon in for the real thing,' and give you a hug. Or he might lick your face up and down, give you a wet kiss," brother Joey said in his poignant, voice-cracking eulogy.

"Mario was just a good solid kid, and despite his achievements and records he never had an ego," said Bob Franco, assistant chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department. "He got where he was not by his size (5-foot-10, 200 pounds), but by his hard work and perseverance.

"It's truly a loss to the community. He was a homeboy who made good. Young kids looked up to him."

Franco was at Point Fermin Park on Saturday when his friend for the last two decades, Joe Danelo, identified the body of his son, who had plunged 120 feet off a cliff.

"It was probably the toughest call I've ever been on, it was so close to home," he said. "I felt weak in the knees. I've seen plenty of similar circumstances, but none have hit as close to home as this."

USC coach Pete Carroll also eulogized Danelo, saying "he leaves us with a tremendous gift about the life we lead -- that you've got to live it. Get living it. He lived it big time. He loved the life he was leading. He didn't miss a moment of it. He lived life big and fun and fast."

Carroll also took an opportunity to lead a rousing minute-long cheer for the record-breaking kicker, helping mourners release some of their pent-up anguish. He promised to keep Danelo "alive and well" at USC forever.

Sam Anno, the special teams coach at USC, would like nothing better.

"He had a great level of having fun and then being serious and you can't ask a player more than that," Anno said in an interview. "Everybody is trying to find that balance ... but he had it down. And when it was time and the pressure was on, I would have nobody else out there kicking a field goal."

Anno said it was important to celebrate Danelo's life, and try to move on.

"You see a mom and dad so sad and so broke," Anno said. "A mother and father lost their child and we lost a teammate. And it's really hard."

...wonderful.

[KewlKat00]

...wonderful.

his jersey and dozens of cardinal and gold roses covered the casket. the alma mater was played when it was carried out of the church.

just some of the trojan family: about 100 current players and coaches; former teammates included shaun cody, matt grootegoed, scott ware, tom malone and fred matua; former trojans included petros papadakis, sam cunningham and frank jordan.

[johngateswhiteley]

his jersey and dozens of cardinal and gold roses covered the casket. the alma mater was played when it was carried out of the church.

just some of the trojan family: about 100 current players and coaches; former teammates included shaun cody, matt grootegoed, scott ware, tom malone and fred matua; former trojans included petros papadakis, sam cunningham and frank jordan.

very nice...sounds like a great ceremony. glad to hear it...

[mookie2001]

remember when the funloving loose players coach pete carroll, played a joke in which he threw lendale white off a rooftop, then ESPN showed it 20 times a day for three days?

[johngateswhiteley]

remember when the funloving loose players coach pete carroll, played a joke in which he threw lendale white off a rooftop, then ESPN showed it 20 times a day for three days?

remember when mookie's posts made sense or were worth a damn?...actually, neither do i.

[BeerIsGood!]

Have they ever ruled it a suicide, or is there still reasonable doubt that it may be homicide?

[johngateswhiteley]

Have they ever ruled it a suicide, or is there still reasonable doubt that it may be homicide?

..i am pretty sure they ruled out homicide and most believe it was an accident. i believe it was an accident...and i'll hear nothing to the contrary.

[BeerIsGood!]

I didn't think about accidental death primarily because of the circumstances under which the body was found. If it was accidental, what was he doing alone on a cliff?

[mookie2001]

being rich

[johngateswhiteley]

I didn't think about accidental death primarily because of the circumstances under which the body was found. If it was accidental, what was he doing alone on a cliff?

well, i am certain i don't know what he was doing. but if i had a dollar for every time i was alone on a cliff or some place where i could die, by accident, i'd be one rich mother fucker. seriously.

[KewlKat00]

he was from the area so he had been there a million times. apparently a bunch of people run up there (some on the paths and some not). it is down to suicide or accident. his brothers and close teammates all say it was an accident. they ran some tests, but unfortunately those results won't tell us what exactly happened.

[BeerIsGood!]

You find yourself alone on cliffs or in the middle of nowhere that often? There are potential accidents everywhere, but people don't usually just accidentally fall off a cliff and die very often. It does happen, but there is always a reason or motivation behind every action. Usually, if someone finds themself alone on a cliff it's due to depression issues.

[BeerIsGood!]

he was from the area so he had been there a million times. apparently a bunch of people run up there (some on the paths and some not). it is down to suicide or accident. his brothers and close teammates all say it was an accident. they ran some tests, but unfortunately those results won't tell us what exactly happened.

I may not have a clear understanding of the scene of the accident/crime. If it's a regularly populated area then the accident is more feasible, although it's still strange how a young, healthy, supposedly mentally sound individual would find himself on the edge of a cliff. If it's a regularly populated area you know there's rails and such.

[johngateswhiteley]

You find yourself alone on cliffs or in the middle of nowhere that often? There are potential accidents everywhere, but people don't usually just accidentally fall off a cliff and die very often. It does happen, but there is always a reason or motivation behind every action. Usually, if someone finds themself alone on a cliff it's due to depression issues.

well, i use to live in California...where i was around cliffs and mountains all the time. i had a girlfriend most of college, many friends, and a very active lifestyle. i'd say i was about as far from depressed as it gets. yet, i loved to be alone at times in the mountains, on cliffs, many places where accidents could happen. if i would have died....i sure as hell hope people would have thought it was by accident.

seems very plausible to me...

[johngateswhiteley]

I may not have a clear understanding of the scene of the accident/crime. If it's a regularly populated area then the accident is more feasible, although it's still strange how a young, healthy, supposedly mentally sound individual would find himself on the edge of a cliff. If it's a regularly populated area you know there's rails and such.

i use to surf in San Diego often, places like stone steps, moonlight beach, beacons...etc. people have fallen and hurt themselves often. there is loose dirt and rock above a range of 20-100 foot drops, plus people party on the beach...then walk back to their cars...then smoke, blah, blah, blah. it easily could have happened in any number of ways.

now, there wasn't any alcohol in his system i don't think, i am just saying in general.

[KewlKat00]

I may not have a clear understanding of the scene of the accident/crime. If it's a regularly populated area then the accident is more feasible, although it's still strange how a young, healthy, supposedly mentally sound individual would find himself on the edge of a cliff. If it's a regularly populated area you know there's rails and such.

i'm not sure if there is railing (having never been down there), but supposedly it is easy to step off the paths and then all there is is a sign saying that it is uneven and slippery. i could see how the beauty of it all might be intriguing.

i'm having trouble finding images, but here's the park's website: http://www.sanpedrochamber.com/champint/ptfmpk.htm

[BeerIsGood!]

It's cool - I'm not interested enough to research it. I'm an Investigator by profession and am always intrigued by these types of cases. It's a sad case notheless.

[johngateswhiteley]

i'm not sure if there is railing (having never been down there), but supposedly it is easy to step off the paths and then all there is is a sign saying that it is uneven and slippery. i could see how the beauty of it all might be intriguing.

i'm having trouble finding images, but here's the park's website: http://www.sanpedrochamber.com/champint/ptfmpk.htm

good enough, if you just check out the pics of the beaches you can sorta see the types of cliffs i am talking about. some have rails....many do not. many you can just walk out too. the ones i am familiar with are local beaches, not high traffic, and not a lot keeping you from the edge.

[KewlKat00]

It's cool - I'm not interested enough to research it. I'm an Investigator by profession and am always intrigued by these types of cases. It's a sad case notheless.

no doubt. but i can't believe i can't find images of the "postcard-perfect views of Catalina Island for all to enjoy... This 37-acre public park overlooks rugged bluffs with amazing views of Catalina Island and the Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors on clear days." gee, thanks for the description... without images.

[johngateswhiteley]

no doubt. but i can't believe i can't find images of the "postcard-perfect views of Catalina Island for all to enjoy... This 37-acre public park overlooks rugged bluffs with amazing views of Catalina Island and the Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors on clear days." gee, thanks for the description... without images.

i am not following? there are pics of Catalina everywhere.

[KewlKat00]

i am not following? there are pics of Catalina everywhere.

definitely, but it seems like every tourist website just had some bit about how beautiful it is, but didn't show it. kinda weird.

[johngateswhiteley]

definitely, but it seems like every tourist website just had some bit about how beautiful it is, but didn't show it. kinda weird.

oh.

[KewlKat00]

Cliffs are alluring and deadly
Point Fermin, site of a USC kicker's death, has a history linked to both beauty and tragedy.
By Deborah Schoch, Times Staff Writer
January 9, 2007

For as long as San Pedrans can remember, the stark beauty of the Point Fermin cliffs has drawn photographers, model plane enthusiasts and wedding planners.

But old-timers know that the steep, rock-strewn bluffs — featured in a scene in the movie "Chinatown" — have a haunting history as well.

In the last two decades, a number of people have fallen to their deaths there in tragic accidents and suicides, their bodies discovered far below on jagged rocks at the ocean's edge.

Some who plummeted off the cliffs have survived their falls. Some were victims of gang violence; other cases remain shrouded in mystery.

Locals mention the allure of the cliffs when they are buffeted by fierce winds. Some youths, they say, play a game of balancing themselves at the top of the bluffs, counting on the winds pushing against their bodies to stop them from falling.

The death of USC kicker Mario Danelo, 21, whose body was found Saturday at the bottom of a San Pedro cliff, has brought renewed attention to the beauty and sad history of the area.

"It's as dangerous as it is hypnotically beautiful," said San Pedro restaurateur John Papadakis. "There's no telling what goes on there. People lose their equilibrium."

On Monday, some residents of this close-knit harbor community lingered at an impromptu memorial for Danelo that has sprung up against the concrete balustrade at the cliffs' edge.

"I'm trying to figure it out — how he could have fallen," said Richard Korgan, 59, who slowly rode his bike along the sidewalk flanking the balustrade.

Still, Korgan, a San Pedro native and longshoreman, understands the lure of the cliffs. As a boy, he and his friends would venture out past the fence to the cliff's edge — "to see what's down there. Just curiosity. But for the grace of God, it could have been me."

Despite its rugged Monterey-style bluffs and 1874 lighthouse, Point Fermin Park is not a major regional tourist attraction. Like San Pedro itself, it feels like a distant outpost of Los Angeles, 25 miles south of downtown.

But its vistas are known the world over. An important turning point in the 1974 film "Chinatown" was filmed there. The lead character, Jake Gittes, played by Jack Nicholson, follows the character Hollis Mulwray to the point. Mulwray watches as fresh water is dumped into the Pacific, despite a major drought.

The backdrop of cliffs and surf, with pelicans soaring overhead, has made this a popular location for weddings, reunions and funerals.

The winds, too, are charismatic.

The cove below can funnel winds from the south and southwest, sending them crashing into the cliffs and creating an updraft that over the decades has drawn hang gliders and sail-plane hobbyists.

The winds have earned the Point Fermin area the name "Hurricane Gulch," said Cabrillo Beach lifeguard Stephan Sleeis. When the winds are strong, the model planes soar above the park, making a screaming noise as they go, he said.

In the past, hang gliders were seen hovering above the cliffs' rim, but the less adroit drifted toward the rocks below.

"Then, if they got an updraft, it would take them and throw them back against the cliff," said Dusty Crane, public affairs officer for the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors.

In 1974, a Huntington Beach man died while gliding at Point Fermin. Hang gliding eventually was banned in the area, Crane said.

Fences and balustrades separate most of the park from the edge of the cliffs. To the east of the lighthouse, however, a narrow dirt path runs between a tall metal fence and a concrete wall, leading to the top of a gulch that cuts through the bluff to the water.

Sneaker prints follow the path downhill.

"When it gets wet, the clay gets slippery. It's a dangerous area," Crane said.

San Pedro attorney Carmen Trutanich can remember edging along the cliff's rim as a boy, and later lunching regularly with an attorney friend on an outcropping 15 feet below the edge.

When he was married, his wedding photos were taken there, and one photo shows his wife's veil blowing in a strong wind.

Some come here to walk and think, Trutanich said.

"It's that kind of place, a sacred place," he said.

Some have chosen to die here. Two teenage girls were found on the rocks below in 1996 after apparently jumping off the cliff, their wrists bound together with string. In 1989, a man and woman apparently jumped to their deaths.

As residents gathered at the cliff Monday, they shared their stories and mourned the dead.

One young woman in a USC sweat shirt walked across the grass toward the cliff with a bundle of balloons in cardinal and gold, USC's colors.

She knelt to tie them to the balustrade amid the candles and flowers, near a USC placard reading "Fight On."

The balloons broke free and went sailing over the edge in the breeze, a bundle of color against the silver of the sea.

The woman, Stephanie Moreno, 20, of Rancho Palos Verdes, said she did not know Danelo, but as a USC fan, she wanted to honor him. She did not mind that the balloons blew away, she said.

"They just went on their own. It was strange," she said. "It was like a symbol, or something."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fermin9jan09,0,1056664.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[johngateswhiteley]

Cliffs are alluring and deadly
Point Fermin, site of a USC kicker's death, has a history linked to both beauty and tragedy.
By Deborah Schoch, Times Staff Writer
January 9, 2007

For as long as San Pedrans can remember, the stark beauty of the Point Fermin cliffs has drawn photographers, model plane enthusiasts and wedding planners.

But old-timers know that the steep, rock-strewn bluffs — featured in a scene in the movie "Chinatown" — have a haunting history as well.

In the last two decades, a number of people have fallen to their deaths there in tragic accidents and suicides, their bodies discovered far below on jagged rocks at the ocean's edge.

Some who plummeted off the cliffs have survived their falls. Some were victims of gang violence; other cases remain shrouded in mystery.

Locals mention the allure of the cliffs when they are buffeted by fierce winds. Some youths, they say, play a game of balancing themselves at the top of the bluffs, counting on the winds pushing against their bodies to stop them from falling.

The death of USC kicker Mario Danelo, 21, whose body was found Saturday at the bottom of a San Pedro cliff, has brought renewed attention to the beauty and sad history of the area.

"It's as dangerous as it is hypnotically beautiful," said San Pedro restaurateur John Papadakis. "There's no telling what goes on there. People lose their equilibrium."

On Monday, some residents of this close-knit harbor community lingered at an impromptu memorial for Danelo that has sprung up against the concrete balustrade at the cliffs' edge.

"I'm trying to figure it out — how he could have fallen," said Richard Korgan, 59, who slowly rode his bike along the sidewalk flanking the balustrade.

Still, Korgan, a San Pedro native and longshoreman, understands the lure of the cliffs. As a boy, he and his friends would venture out past the fence to the cliff's edge — "to see what's down there. Just curiosity. But for the grace of God, it could have been me."

Despite its rugged Monterey-style bluffs and 1874 lighthouse, Point Fermin Park is not a major regional tourist attraction. Like San Pedro itself, it feels like a distant outpost of Los Angeles, 25 miles south of downtown.

But its vistas are known the world over. An important turning point in the 1974 film "Chinatown" was filmed there. The lead character, Jake Gittes, played by Jack Nicholson, follows the character Hollis Mulwray to the point. Mulwray watches as fresh water is dumped into the Pacific, despite a major drought.

The backdrop of cliffs and surf, with pelicans soaring overhead, has made this a popular location for weddings, reunions and funerals.

The winds, too, are charismatic.

The cove below can funnel winds from the south and southwest, sending them crashing into the cliffs and creating an updraft that over the decades has drawn hang gliders and sail-plane hobbyists.

The winds have earned the Point Fermin area the name "Hurricane Gulch," said Cabrillo Beach lifeguard Stephan Sleeis. When the winds are strong, the model planes soar above the park, making a screaming noise as they go, he said.

In the past, hang gliders were seen hovering above the cliffs' rim, but the less adroit drifted toward the rocks below.

"Then, if they got an updraft, it would take them and throw them back against the cliff," said Dusty Crane, public affairs officer for the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors.

In 1974, a Huntington Beach man died while gliding at Point Fermin. Hang gliding eventually was banned in the area, Crane said.

Fences and balustrades separate most of the park from the edge of the cliffs. To the east of the lighthouse, however, a narrow dirt path runs between a tall metal fence and a concrete wall, leading to the top of a gulch that cuts through the bluff to the water.

Sneaker prints follow the path downhill.

"When it gets wet, the clay gets slippery. It's a dangerous area," Crane said.

San Pedro attorney Carmen Trutanich can remember edging along the cliff's rim as a boy, and later lunching regularly with an attorney friend on an outcropping 15 feet below the edge.

When he was married, his wedding photos were taken there, and one photo shows his wife's veil blowing in a strong wind.

Some come here to walk and think, Trutanich said.

"It's that kind of place, a sacred place," he said.

Some have chosen to die here. Two teenage girls were found on the rocks below in 1996 after apparently jumping off the cliff, their wrists bound together with string. In 1989, a man and woman apparently jumped to their deaths.

As residents gathered at the cliff Monday, they shared their stories and mourned the dead.

One young woman in a USC sweat shirt walked across the grass toward the cliff with a bundle of balloons in cardinal and gold, USC's colors.

She knelt to tie them to the balustrade amid the candles and flowers, near a USC placard reading "Fight On."

The balloons broke free and went sailing over the edge in the breeze, a bundle of color against the silver of the sea.

The woman, Stephanie Moreno, 20, of Rancho Palos Verdes, said she did not know Danelo, but as a USC fan, she wanted to honor him. She did not mind that the balloons blew away, she said.

"They just went on their own. It was strange," she said. "It was like a symbol, or something."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fermin9jan09,0,1056664.story?coll=la-home-headlines


exactly....ex-act-ly.

[mookie2001]

I assumed he died near his home, or in his backyard or something, my bad, he was rich right?