Young Mother Dies at Bridge to Nowhere
A young mother was swept away and killed by the San Gabriel River while hiking the popular Bridge to Nowhere trail north of Los Angeles. Officials are urging hikers to avoid the trail until water levels recede, warning that recent rains have made river crossings deceptively dangerous with rapidly rising waters. This incident highlights a hidden spring danger that catches even experienced hikers off guard.
The woman who died was identified as 33-year-old Jaqueline Aguilar De Lao. The incident occurred around 8 a.m. on Sunday, March 2, 2026, when she fell at the second river crossing and was carried away by the powerful current. Members of the San Dimas Mountain Rescue Team were already at the trailhead that morning, speaking with hikers and providing safety tips about the dangerous water crossings. A runner frantically alerted them after Aguilar De Lao was swept away, prompting an immediate emergency response that involved multiple agencies, including the Los Angeles County Fire Department and the Sheriff's Department. This is not the first fatality in the area. In March 2024, a 59-year-old woman was also swept to her death by the river's current near the Heaton Flats trailhead, which is in the same vicinity. Another hiker died near the bridge in 2020 after a fall. The "Bridge to Nowhere" is an arch bridge built in 1936 over the East Fork of the San Gabriel River. It was originally part of a planned road to connect the San Gabriel Valley with Wrightwood. Just two years after the bridge's completion, a massive flood in March 1938 destroyed the road leading to it, leaving the structure isolated in what is now the Sheep Mountain Wilderness. No car has ever driven across the bridge. Today, the bridge is a popular, yet strenuous, 10-mile round-trip hike that requires multiple river crossings. The structure itself is on private land and is used as a commercial bungee jumping location. Officials warn that water levels in the San Gabriel River can rise rapidly, and currents can become deceptively strong, especially during the spring and after rainfall. These conditions can catch even experienced hikers off guard. The San Dimas Mountain Rescue team urged the public to stay away from the trail until water levels significantly drop.
