18-year-old dies in Santa Cruz cliff fall

An 18-year-old Hercules man fell to his death at Panther Beach on Tuesday evening, according to Santa Cruz County sheriff’s officials.

Neel Foon was walking near the edge of a cliff with a small group of friends when the ground gave way around 5:15 p.m., sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Clark said. Foon was pronounced dead at the scene.

He was a solo musician who had also played guitar in the Berkeley grunge band Atlas, according to his Facebook profile.

Foon was in his first year at University of California at Los Angeles after graduating from Oakland School for the Arts, according to social media.