Bicycle Rider Dies After Going Over Cliff In Cedar Grove

CEDAR GROVE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A New Jersey man fell to his death while out biking in Cedar Grove, New Jersey Monday morning.

The man was bicycling with his brother near the cliff at Mills Reservation County Park when he went over the side and suffered a fatal fall.

The incident began at around 9:15 a.m. Several rescue crews responded to the scene and rappelled down the cliff, where a 49-year-old man from Wayne was found dead at the scene, police said.

Police say the cyclist lost control, swerving and plummeting 20-feet down the cliff before landing on a rocky ledge.

"It comes pretty abruptly so if you were biking pretty fast and you didn't know it was there you could, you know, go over it," hiker Dave Sellinger said.

Neighbors told CBS2 there have been previous accidents in the area.

"It's a place where they go to ride their bikes and whatnot. But there have been accidents. Not too many, thank God," an area resident told Roy. "There's a bike trail that goes up to the top of Mills Reservation. It's a ravine, it's not meant for something like that, but the kids do it."

While the park is known for its hiking and biking trails, police say the brothers went off the beaten path.

"I could see if someone lost control they would go over because there's no fence or anything like that," neighbor Jane Hanson said.

Police say there is no signage in the area, and the fall appears to be completely accidental.

Now, the mangled bike is all that's left after the dramatic search came to a tragic end.

Authorities are not identifying the victim until the family is properly notified.