Early on the morning of Thursday, July 5th, two fishermen came upon the body of a woman in the creek just upstream from the top of Dingmans Falls. The park’s high angle rescue (HAR) team was called in to recovery the body, which was in a difficult location to reach. The team, comprised of park employees, volunteers and employees from New Jersey state parks and forests, specializes in technical rescue and recovery operations. About 20 people were involved in the recovery and the associated investigation. From evidence found at the scene, it appears that the woman – subsequently identified as Rosemary Shortino, 40, of Middle Smithfield – died following a fall of about 40 feet from a cliff overlooking the creek. An investigation continues into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
