A Jersey City priest fell to his death on Oregon's tallest peak Tuesday, authorities said.

Mount Hood
Mount Hood (KGW TV)
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According to The Hood River County Sheriff's Office, Rev. Robert Cormier appeared to have reached the summit before he fell about 1,000 feet near Eliot Glacier at the volcanic peak, 50 miles east of Portland.

A helicopter photographed the climber and his position but saw "no signs of life," said Hood River Sheriff's Sgt. Pete Hughes.

Jim Goodness, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Newark, and a friend of Father Comier told KATU TV: “It was a true shock as we learned today about his passing, and we’re certainly very concerned about his family, concerned about his parish, and all the people who’ve been part of his life," The station reported that Comier is survived by a mother and sister.

A biography on his publisher's site describes Cormier as "a "pilot, mountain climber, sailor, cave explorer, scuba diver, and bus driver; and he also plays the conga."  According to a post on his Facebook page, the trip to Mount Hood was "last attempt to climb a big mountain." Thousands of people climb the 11,240-foot peak each year.

Conditions were warm in the area on Monday and Tuesday, with a reported temperature of 47 degrees Tuesday morning on the summit.

"Climbers up there reported the snow was getting warm, and they wanted to get down and get off," Hughes said. At warmer temperatures, ice on the mountain melts and rocks fall more readily. He said responders will wait until next week to recover Cormier, when colder temperatures will afford them more stability on the rocks and ice.

In August, a Polish military officer visiting the United States for training with a drone manufacturer went to the summit on a day off. The novice climber fell about 1,000 feet.

In May 1986, seven students from Oregon Episcopal School and two adults died during a sudden storm on the mountain.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.


 

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