Cliff fall at Mills Reservation officially ruled accident

The fatal cliff fall earlier this week at Mill Reservation has been ruled an accident, officials said Friday.

Kerry Rivera, 49, of Wayne, was riding mountain bikes with his brother in the reservation on Monday when he lost control of his bicycle and fell over the cliff’s edge into a ravine near Old Quarry Road. Mills Reservation is a county park on the town line between Montclair and Cedar Grove.

The investigation has concluded and the incident has been ruled as a sudden accidental death, according to Sgt. Helena Olivera of the Essex County Sheriff’s Office. She said that the medical examiner’s findings also supported that ruling.

Rivera was a firefighter with the Paterson Fire Department.

Friends of Rivera’s family established a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money for the family’s expenses. As of Friday afternoon, the campaign had raised $12,533 of its $25,000 goal.

The viewing was to take place on Friday at 4 p.m. at Martinez Memorial, Paterson. The funeral service and Mass were to be held at Our Lady of Consolation, Wayne, with interment to follow at East Ridgelawn Cemetery, Clifton.