NJ Woman Killed in Rock Climbing Fall

A New Jersey woman has died in a rock climbing accident in New York's Hudson Valley.

State police say 22-year-old Stephanie Prezant of Haworth was climbing with three friends in the Trapps Cliff area in the Mohonk Preserve when she was killed in a fall at about 1:30 p.m. Sunday.

They say Prezant was descending to the cliff base when she fell about 20 feet and hit her head on rocks. She was treated at the scene and taken to a hospital, where she died.

The preserve is in Gardiner, 70 miles north of New York City.

State police Capt. Joseph Tripodo says Monday that Prezant wasn't wearing a helmet. He says the group was using harnesses and ropes. The investigation into how Prezant fell is continuing.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)