Man, 50, Dies While Hiking In Wayne's High Mountain Park: Police

WAYNE, NJ — A 50-year-old man had a "medical episode," collapsed and died while hiking in High Mountain Park Monday, police said.

The Wayne Police Department received a 911 call from a man hiking in the park saying that a man he was hiking with collapsed, said Detective Capt. Laurence Martin.

Authorities found the hikers on a trail in the park about a quarter of a mile from Valley Road, Martin said.

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The man who collapsed suffered a "medical episode" and was in cardiac arrest when emergency responders arrived, he said. Authorities tried to save his life using CPR but were unsuccessful, the captain said. A doctor from St. Joseph's Hospital pronounced the man dead at the scene, he said.

The state Medical Examiner's Office was contacted to remove the body.

The Wayne Police Detective Bureau is investigating the incident, but nothing appears suspicious, Martin said.

The victim's name was being withheld at press time pending notification of his next of kin.

The Wayne Police, First Aid Squad, Fire Department, St. Joseph's Hospital paramedics, William Paterson University Police and the North Haledon Police and Fire departments responded in an attempt to locate and care for the man.

High Mountain Park is part of a nearly 1,300-acre nature preserve located in Wayne and North Haledon. Its five hiking trails are between 0.2 and 4.9 miles long. The preserve includes High Mountain, however, much of the area includes William Paterson University, a golf course and private homes.

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Patch file photo by Daniel Hubbard