New Jersey teen dies after falling off waterfall in upstate New York

HAINES FALLS, New York -- A New Jersey teenager has died after tumbling over a Hudson Valley waterfall.

State police say 17-year-old Ezra Kennedy, of Westfield, New Jersey, fell off Kaaterskill Falls on Wednesday.

Troopers say the victim was deceased when responding patrols located his body near the base of the falls, located about 40 miles south of Albany.

A preliminary investigation indicates that Kennedy had been hiking with a group of relatives and friends when he made it to the top of the lower falls.

But as he neared the edge, he lost his footing on the wet rock, causing him to accidentally slip and fall approximately 50 feet to the rocks below.

State Police do not suspect foul play. An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.