The National Park Service announced the recent convictions of three individuals for illegal BASE jumping in Yosemite National Park. Two of the three jumps took place in 2024, while the third occurred in 2020. All convictions occurred within the past few months.
“We do not tolerate illegal activity in Yosemite National Park. Our law enforcement rangers remain efficient, effective and vigilant 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. These convictions demonstrate the professionalism and dedication of Yosemite’s protection team in upholding federal regulations and ensuring the safety of both visitors and first responders.” – Yosemite National Park Superintendent Raymond McPadden.
6 CFR 2.17(a)(3) prohibits BASE jumping across all National Parks in the United States, specifically forbidding “delivering or retrieving a person by airborne means except as authorized by the NPS.” Despite the long-standing ban, people continue to attempt illegal jumps every year.
On July 15th, 2024, park rangers located Christopher I. Durell at Mirror Lake after a report was made that two people had jumped from an area near North Dome. Durell admitted to BASE jumping from the Porcelain Wall and eventually pled guilty. On September 16th, 2025, he was sentenced to 18 months of unsupervised probation, $600 in fines, and 50 hours of community service. He was forced to forfeit his BASE canopy and wingsuit.
Joshua A. Iosue also jumped on July 15th, 2025. He initially fled on foot but was eventually identified and cited on July 17th, 2025. After pleading guilty, Iosue was sentenced to 2 days in jail, 24 months of unsupervised probation, and $2,510 in fines. He is banned from Yosemite National Park throughout the probation.
On July 1st, 2020, David A. Nunn jumped from El Capitan before suffering a severe equipment malfunction and colliding with the wall before crash-landing at the base. He was rescued by NPS staff. He had received a previous conviction for the same offense in 1998, and pled guilty to the 2020 incident.
On September 16th, 2025, Nunn was sentenced to 2 days in jail, 12 months of unsupervised probation, $760 in fines, and restitution of $458.77 for the cost of his rescue. He is also banned from entering Yosemite throughout his probation and was ordered to forfeit his parachute and harness.
BASE Jumping has been illegal in Yosemite National Park since the mid-1980s. It’s led to multiple injuries, fatalities, and high-risk rescues over the past several years. During the current federal government shutdown, multiple reports of individuals BASE jumping throughout the park have occurred, though it’s not clear if anyone has been caught or identified.
