Body of man found off Grizzly Peak Boulevard

Look out at Signpost 15 on Grizzly Peak Boulevard — The look-out spot at Signpost 15 on Grizzly Peak Boulevard near where the body of a man was found on Sunday, May 18. Photo: Tracey Taylor

Update 11 a.m.: The Alameda County coroner’s office has identified the man as Lorenzo Baltazar-Trujillo, 22, of Concord.

Original story: UC Berkeley police are investigating the death of a man who may have fallen to his death Sunday while admiring a view of San Francisco Bay from Grizzly Peak Boulevard.

A hiker spotted the man’s body around 2:26 p.m. and called the police, according to Sgt. Rick Florendo of the UC Berkeley Police Department. The Oakland Fire Department pronounced the man dead at the scene.

The victim many have fallen 100 feet from a rocky outcropping that looks out at a view of San Francisco Bay. Police had put yellow police tape Sunday evening around a white car that was parked near the scene at Signpost 15 on Grizzly Peak Blvd.

The male body was found down the embankment from near Signpost 15 on Grizzly Peak Blvd which is just west of the Tilden Steam Train. Image: Google Maps — The body of a man was found down the embankment from Signpost 15 on Grizzly Peak Blvd which is just west of the Tilden Park Steam Train. Image: Google Maps

Speaking late Sunday night, Sgt. Florendo said he did not know if the victim was a UC Berkeley student. There were no signs of foul play, he said.

The Oakland Tribune is reporting that the victim is a Latino man in his 20s. The Alameda County coroner’s office has not reached the victim’s family and is not yet releasing his name.

The Chronicle reports that police found an open case of beer inside the victim’s car.

In November 2012, a 24-year-old San Pablo man died in the same area after he climbed up on a large rock and fell 250 feet down a cliff.

This time last year there was a homicide on Grizzly Peak: 21-year-old Alverto Santana-Silva of Fremont was shot dead after he apparently tried to break up an argument or disturbance between two groups of strangers near Signpost 16.

Cars drive over the edge of the sharply winding hill road regularly. On June 8, 2012, three people survived with relatively minor injuries when their car went off the boulevard near Centennial Drive, and plunged 200-300 feet down the embankment. And, three years ago, a local man who drove off Grizzly Peak between Centennial Drive and South Park Drive was rescued alive and in relatively good condition after being undiscovered for an estimated four days.

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Frances Dinkelspiel