Cliff Jumper Dies Near Franconia

The body of a local young man has been recovered after going missing Monday evening.

By

/

/

2 minute read

The body of twenty-year-old Alex Vitalis has been recovered from the river, Fox 9 is reporting:

KMSP-TV

St. Croix River cliff on Wisconsin side of river near Franconia
St. Croix River cliff on Wisconsin side of river near Franconia

Original post:

The Pioneer Press is reporting that an unidentified individual is missing in the river after jumping off a cliff on the Wisconsin side:

The Chisago County sheriff’s office water patrol responded to the Franconia Landing to begin a search. Along with the National Park Service and Taylors Falls Fire Department, the agencies scoured the river until 9:30 p.m., when the rescue effort was called off for the night.

Update #1: An individual on the St. Croix River Facebook page writes, “His name is Alex Vitalis, a local young man. Please pray for his family.”

Update #2: Another reader corrects the initial information, “Shafer Fire was paged first for a reported party in the water. They then called for Mutual Aid from Taylors Falls Fire, Osceola Fire and the Nat. Park Service. Chisago County Sheriff’s Office also responded.”

Update #3: Another St. Croix River Facebook fan says she was on a nearby island when it happened, “It was around 6:30- 7:00. At the spot where everybody always jumps. They weren’t even jumping from the high spot, actually were on the low rock.”

Update #4: According to the Pioneer Press, Chisago County authorities say they have recovered the missing jumper’s body. This article’s headline has been updated.

This is a very sad event for the many people who knew the victim, and for all who enjoy the St. Croix River. Our hearts go out to his loved ones.


REPUBLISHING TERMS

You may republish this article online or in print under our Creative Commons license. You may not edit or shorten the text, you must attribute the article to St. Croix 360 and you must include the author’s name in your republication.

If you have any questions, please email greg@stcroix360.com

License

Creative Commons License Attribution-ShareAlikeCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike
Cliff Jumper Dies Near Franconia