Coverage spread: 3 sources — 3 unrated
Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.
Where they agree
- A BASE jumper crashed into a cliff in the Superstition Mountains and had to be rescued by helicopter.
- DPS pilot Jonah Nieves and his crew, including Trooper Maxey, carried out the hoist rescue.
- The jumper was found clinging to a narrow ledge roughly 100 feet down a steep, rocky cliff face.
- Separately, Disney animator Glen Keane was rescued from Mummy Mountain and later thanked Phoenix Fire crews in person.
Where they differ
- AZFamily provides an in-depth, quote-driven account of the BASE jumper rescue, while 12 News and FOX 10 cover an entirely separate incident involving Glen Keane.
- 12 News focuses briefly on the fact of Keane’s rescue and the meeting with rescuers, offering minimal detail on the rescue itself.
- FOX 10 emphasizes Keane’s gesture of gratitude, noting he presented original artwork to Phoenix Fire Station 12 crews.
- Only AZFamily details the operational and environmental hazards of the rescue, such as wind and heat affecting helicopter performance.
An Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter crew hoisted a BASE jumper to safety early Saturday morning after he lost control mid-jump and slammed into a rock cliff in the Superstition Mountains in Pinal County. The rescue, captured on camera, involved lowering a trooper roughly 100 feet down to a narrow ledge where the jumper was clinging with barely enough room to stand.
What happened during the rescue?
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office called for air support just before 6 a.m. Saturday after a BASE jumper drifted off course and struck a rock cliff in the Superstition Mountains. DPS pilot Jonah Nieves was one of three crew members aboard the responding helicopter. He described the terrain as steep and jagged, dotted with rock spires, which complicated any approach.
The jumper was able to call the crew directly and help them pinpoint his exact location on the cliff face. Nieves said he then moved onto the helicopter’s exterior skids to prepare for a hoist rescue, lowering a crewmate identified as Trooper Maxey down to the jumper. The man was found clinging to a ledge nearly 100 feet below the aircraft, with what Nieves described as just enough space to stand without falling. Maxey used a rescue device that wraps under the arms to secure him, and the crew hoisted him back up to the helicopter.
Why was this rescue especially difficult?
Beyond the rocky, spire-filled terrain, the crew had to contend with the Superstition Mountains’ notoriously unpredictable wind patterns and the effects of summer heat on helicopter performance. Nieves said high temperatures reduce how well a helicopter can operate, adding another layer of risk to an already technical hoist rescue on a sheer cliff face.
Nieves said the jumper’s survival came down largely to chance, since he ended up on one of the few spots on the cliff with enough room to stand rather than falling further. DPS noted that rescues of stranded BASE jumpers in the Superstition Mountains happen regularly, but weather conditions don’t always allow for a helicopter response. Nieves urged anyone considering the jump to take every precaution available.
How does this compare to the other Phoenix-area rescue story?
Separately, a different mountain rescue made news in the Phoenix area involving Disney animator and director Glen Keane, 72, who had to be pulled from Mummy Mountain in Paradise Valley on July 29, 2026. Keane later visited Phoenix Fire Station 12 to personally thank the crews who rescued him, presenting them with original artwork as a token of appreciation. Details on what led to Keane needing rescue were not provided in the available reporting.
What is BASE jumping and why does it carry such risk?
BASE jumping involves parachuting or wingsuit flying from fixed structures or terrain features like cliffs, rather than from aircraft at altitude, and it offers far less margin for error than traditional skydiving. The Superstition Mountains, a popular but treacherous range east of Phoenix, regularly draw both hikers and extreme-sports enthusiasts, and DPS’s comments suggest cliff rescues tied to jumpers going off course are a recurring, expected part of the agency’s workload in the area during favorable weather.
What don’t we know yet?
The reporting does not name the rescued BASE jumper, specify his condition after the rescue, or detail what caused him to lose control during the jump. It’s also unclear whether he faced any citations or repercussions, or how DPS’s search-and-rescue statistics for BASE jumpers in the Superstitions have trended in recent years beyond the general statement that such incidents occur annually.
Sources
Featured photo: Nicholas Hartmann via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)