GOODHUE COUNTY, Minn. — A cliff jumping mishap in southeastern Minnesota Monday has claimed the life of a Farmington teenager.
The Goodhue County Sheriff's Office says 17-year-old Garrett Berg had just jumped off a cliff and into Lake Byllesby near Cannon Falls when another teen leapt in right after him and landed on Berg.
Berg never resurfaced.
Search crews responded, and the body of the teen was located by sonar and and recovered from the water by a sheriff's department dive team around 8:15 p.m. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.
KARE 11's Lou Raguse talked with Garrett's dad Steve Berg, who shared that Garrett was headed into his senior year at Farmington High School this fall. Steve said his son had a 19-year-old sister, played baseball, football and wrestled, and had been active in 4-H since he was 6 years old despite living "in town." He said Garrett showed sheep and rabbits for competition over the years.
Steve Berg said his son was known for his big, bright smile.
“He was very social, had a lot of friends and loved making new friends,” Steve said.
Garrett's friends were at Farmington High School, painting a big rock with messages to their buddy. "Rest easy, G," one wrote. "Garret Berg, son, friend, brother," read a chalk drawing on the sidewalk.
The sheriff is reminding residents and visitors that the Lake Byllesby cliffs can only be accessed by crossing private property, and doing so is illegal. In fact, deputies responded to the cliffs and removed about 30 people from the area earlier Monday.
Farmington Area Public Schools released the following statement:
The Farmington Area Public Schools community was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Garrett Berg, an 11th grade student at Farmington High School, on the evening of Monday, June 8. He previously attended Meadowview Elementary School and Robert Boeckman Middle School. He will be greatly missed by his teachers, classmates, teammates, and friends at Farmington High.
Although school is not in session, school counselors have made themselves available to our entire community. We encourage our families to reach out to school staff if they have a specific concern regarding their child or would like additional assistance in dealing with this tragic loss. Our sincere and deep sympathies are with Garrett’s family and friends during this very difficult time.