20-Year-Old Camp Worker Dead After ‘Tragic Accident’ While Hiking Yosemite National Park
Matt Mullen "will be remembered as an upbeat, adventurous person," the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department tells PEOPLE
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Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty
Yosemite National ParkA 20-year-old man died while on a hike in Yosemite National Park last week, officials said.
Matt Mullen, 20, was spending his day off as a camp worker with co-workers at the California national park at the time, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department tells PEOPLE in a statement.
"Matt Mullen, an assistant cook in the Camp Mather kitchen, lost his life on Thursday, Aug. 8, in a tragic accident during a day off with co-workers in Yosemite National Park," a department spokesperson tells PEOPLE.
Matt had been working for the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department for a second summer, but the department emphasized that the incident did not occur during work hours or while on their property.
Related: Daughter, 20, Told Dad She Loved Him Minutes Before She Fell to Her Death from Yosemite's Half Dome
A spokesperson for Yosemite National Park said that the incident is currently under investigation and "we are not able to provide any further information at this time," SFGate reported.
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PEOPLE has reached out to the National Park Service for information.
Grief counselors assisted those at the camp who were affected by Mullen’s death, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department spokesperson added. They will also be providing assistance to his colleagues through the Employee Assistance Program.
According to Camp Mather, the family camp was built in the 1920s near the Hetch Hetchy Valley. It is in close proximity to Yosemite National Park. "The camp is beloved by many as an off-the-grid refuge from city life and is a treasure for generations of SF families," a description read.
Activities include a scenic trip to the national park, per the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department website.
Last month, a 20-year-old college student died after slipping down the Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. She was descending the popular peak with her father when the accident occurred.
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