FDNY paramedic dies in fall off 14000-foot summit in Colorado - New York Daily News

A 31-year-old FDNY paramedic was found dead days after he took a hike alone on a dangerous mountain peak in Colorado, officials said.

Leonard "Lenny" Joyner was on a 14,000-foot summit on a popular string of mountains called the Maroon Bells in the White River National Forest - 11 miles south of Aspen - when he took a fatal fall, said Deputy Sheriff George Kremer of the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office.

Joyner had climbed to the top of South Maroon Peak on Thursday about 10 a.m., the last time he was seen, but had later signed the North Maroon Peak summit registry, Kremer said.

The 6-year paramedic arrived in Denver on Wednesday and told his buddies he was scaling the mountain Thursday, according to Kremer. He planned to fly back to New York on Friday so he could get to work by Saturday, Kremer said.

"This last Saturday, he didn't show up for work," Kremer said. "The guys he works with called his brother who knew of his plans in Colorado."

Searches turned up nothing over the last few days as efforts were halted by thunderstorms that attacked the area, Kremer said.

Around 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, two brothers from Yardley, Pa., were stranded on the North Maroon Peak at 11,000 feet and called for help.

While helicopters and ground troops scoured the area for the duo, they came across Joyner's body.

"He was in a very dangerous area," Kremer explained.

"The problem with that mountain is not only is it over 14,000 feet tall, but it's a lot of loose rocks so it's not stable."

On his descent, Joyner veered off course and fell about 500 feet into a cliff band.

His body, with multiple blunt force trauma, was found by the rescue teams. There is no criminality suspected in his death, Kremer said.

"There's no mistakes on that ridge," Kremer said. "You can't make a slip in that area,"

Joyner was most recently assigned to Station 7 on Manhattan's west side, the FDNY said.

"He was treating people who were seriously hurt in his career - he had the highest level of medical training he could have," one FDNY source said. "He saved people who were going into cardiac arrest, people in serious medical emergencies."

He earned a citation in 2008 for a pre-hospital save, sources said.

sarmaghan@nydailynews.com