Teen who died at Lands End ignored warnings

A 17-year-old girl who fell to her death Thursday from a cliff at San Francisco’s Lands End was walking in an area that is closed to the public and had disregarded signs warning of danger, U.S. Park Police officials said Tuesday.

Victoria La Rocca of Corte Madera and two other juveniles had parked a vehicle along El Camino Del Mar and walked down to a fence with a sign indicating “Danger Area Closed” around 6:20 p.m. Thursday, U.S. Park Police spokesman Capt. Jerry Marshall said.

The group disregarded the sign, went through the fence and walked to the Painted Rock cliff’s edge, in an area near the Lands End Labyrinth, where La Rocca fell around 150 to 200 feet and landed on a large rock, Marshall said.

U.S. Park Police officers responded and found her lying on the rock around 6 feet from the water’s edge, lying motionless and unresponsive with extensive trauma to her head and body.

She was picked up by rescue swimmers in a watercraft and taken to China Beach, but was pronounced dead by San Francisco Fire Department personnel.

The two juveniles with La Rocca confirmed to investigators that they knew the area was closed when they entered it, Marshall said.

Marshall said:

“We ask the public to adhere to all signage in the park and even in approved hiking areas, the public should keep a safe distance from all cliff edges.”

Anyone with further information on the case is asked to call the U.S. Park Police tip line at (415) 561-5150 or park communications at (415) 561-5508.