Resident dies in fall in Maine

GLEN RIDGE, NJ — The body of Glen Ridge resident Mark Simon was recovered off the coast of Maine on Monday night. It is presumed Simon fell from a bluff, to his death.

According to John Kelly, an Acadia Park spokesman, Simon, 68, fell 40 feet while attempting to take a photograph. His body was carried out to sea by a rising tide. The accident happened Monday evening.

Kelly said Simon’s wife notified authorities at 9:30 p.m. She had remained at the car while her husband took the photograph. Sunset, Kelly said, was at 8:15 p.m. that night. The body was recovered at 11:30 p.m.

“From what we can tell, he was right up at the edge of the bluff, from marks in the soil,” Kelly said in a telephone interview. “The tripod he was using was at the spot with his backpack.”

Kelly did not know if the camera was recovered.
“By the time the Coast Guard could respond,” Kelly said, “he was carried 50 yards from shore.”

Kelly said the cause of death has not yet been determined. An autopsy will be performed at the state medical examiner’s office.