As reported by the Wild Coast Compass earlier in the week, on Sunday, August 12, Douglas County Emergency Communications received a 9-1-1 call just before 3:00 pm reporting an adult male had fallen down a cliff at Toketee Falls.
Emergency personnel responded to the scene and have been trying to locate the man. A search and rescue mission is in progress. Deputies have identified the man as 23-year-old Brian Lewinstein of Berkeley, California.
The search for 23-year-old Brian Lewinstein of Berkeley California continues, however, after lengthy meticulous searches over the past 3 days, authorities now presume Lewinstein is dead after falling from a cliff above Toketee Falls on Sunday.
Search and Rescue personnel have been searching the area ever since. It is believed that Lewinstein crossed a safety fence to take a photograph from above the falls when he slipped and fell down the steep embankment, falling into the top pool of the falls where the North Umpqua River falls 28 ft. before the main falls plummet another 85ft.
“There are several factors at play that make this search problematic, such as the steepness of the terrain, the length of the fall and the fact that Mr. Lewinstein possibly landed in the first pool beneath the falls. If he landed in the falls there is a possibility he was washed down to the second pool or even into the North Umpqua River, said Wayne Stinson Emergency Management Coordinator.
Divers have been unable to search the pools due to dangerous water conditions.
The search is expected to ramp down as searchers are comfortable they have searched all possible ground beneath the falls.
Deputies will continue to check the bodies of water where Mr. Lewinstein may be located and are working closely with the Lewinstein family.
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