Teen Dies in Hiking Accident Days Before Senior Year of High School

A 17-year-old boy in California died last week in a hiking accident days before the new school year.

Relatives identified the teen as Aaron Baten Gramajo of San Rafael, according to CW affiliate KRON and Fox affiliate KTVU.

Gramajo was hiking at Marin Headlands on Monday, Aug. 11 when the incident occurred, according to a GoFundMe started to support his family.

Cela Gramajo, the teen’s mom, told KTVU that she reported her son missing after he did not return home from his hike and she found his car in the Marin Headlands late on Aug. 11. 

Officials said Aaron fell from a cliff, the Marin Independent Journal reported.

Chief Deputy Coroner Roger Fielding of the Marin County Sheriff’s Office said the teen died from a blunt force injury, and that the incident was deemed an accident, KTVU reported.

Aaron was found near the water below Battery Spencer, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. 

“At just 17, Aaron touched countless hearts with his kindness, laughter, and dreams for the future,” the GoFundMe’s co-organizers Edelin Reyes and Yajaira Gramajo wrote.

Aaron is survived by two sisters and his parents, “who loved him deeply,” they wrote.

The incident occurred just nine days before San Rafael High School, which the teen attended, is expected to start the 2025-26 school year on Wednesday, Aug. 20, according to KRON.

Principal Joe Dominguez said Gramajo was a rising senior.

“Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this extremely difficult time,” Dominguez said in a letter to the school community, KRON reported. “Aaron grew up here in San Rafael, and his loss deeply affects so many, especially those in the Laurel Dell, Davidson and SRHS community who he and his family are closely connected with.”

Dominguez and the sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.

Gramajo also worked at Boichik Bagels in Larkspur for two years, according to an Instagram post shared by the business.

“Aaron was a great person and encapsulated the essence of what it is to be a mensch,” wrote a user who identified themselves as the manager. “Always had a smile and always ready to help out. Shop wouldn’t be what it is today without him. Thank you Aaron.”

The Shack, an ice cream shop in Larkspur, also paid tribute to their former employee in a post on Instagram.

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“With a very heavy heart, we share the news that our friend Aaron Baten has passed away,” the post stated. “We wanted to share this with our community, for anyone that had the joy of coming into the shack when Aaron was working, we know you left feeling good with a big smile! Aaron made the shack a better place! 💔”

Hayden Martay, a 16-year-old employee of the ice cream shop who worked with Aaron, told KTVU that he “was very kind and big-hearted.”

Meggie Sichi, the parlor’s owner, said he “was a great influence” on her children.

“My daughter saw him as he was closing the store, grabbing his two sisters hands and skipping down the street, and I’ll just cherish that,” Sichi recalled.

More than $26,000 has been raised through the GoFundMe for Gramajo’s family as of Tuesday, Aug. 19.