A Sunday outing at Bellevue Quarry in west Nashville turned tragic when a 17-year-old boy from Spring Hill died after jumping from a cliff, according to authorities. Friends who were with him told police they surfaced after the jump and found him unresponsive. Crews with the Nashville Fire Department recovered his body shortly before 7 p.m. Metro Nashville police later identified the teen as Evan Marsch.
Officers and rescue crews were called to the quarry around 6 p.m. Sunday. Witnesses told investigators the group had been cliff-jumping when Marsch failed to resurface. Rescuers tried to pull him to shore, but he went under and did not come back up. His body was recovered just before 7 p.m., according to WSMV. The station reported that Marsch had been at the site with three friends: an 18-year-old from Chapel Hill, a 17-year-old from Lawrenceburg and a 15-year-old from Spring Hill.
Where it happened
The Bellevue Quarry sits on McCrory Lane in the Bellevue area. City planning records list the site at 7848 McCrory Lane and describe a lake that formed in a former rock quarry. Planning documents for a nearby residential proposal outline steep quarry edges and show the water covering much of the northern part of the property, with developers proposing to fold the lake into new housing plans.
Local dive operators also note a private Nashville-area quarry used for training near Bellevue, a sign that the spot is on the radar of both swimmers and divers. According to the Metro Nashville Planning Department and Scuba Nashville, the quarry has been part of ongoing conversations about development and local recreational use.
Why quarries are dangerous
Quarries can look like inviting swimming holes but hide serious hazards. The water is often deep and cold, with limited visibility and unknown underwater debris, which makes cliff-jumping risky even for strong swimmers.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' recent drowning-prevention guidance stresses that open-water environments pose particular dangers for children and teens. The group calls for layered prevention strategies that include strong swim skills, close supervision and avoiding unsanctioned jumps into natural bodies of water. Research on youth drownings also finds that adolescents are especially vulnerable in unsupervised open-water settings, where environmental conditions and risky behaviors frequently combine in fatal incidents. You can read the full policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics and an analysis of youth drownings from the National Institutes of Health.
Officials and next steps
Police say the investigation into the incident remains open and have not released additional details about what led up to the jump or the immediate aftermath, according to WSMV. The station reported that no further information was available at the time of its story. Authorities have not yet announced an official cause of death or provided more specifics about the circumstances.
Residents around Bellevue and others who use the quarry will likely be watching for updates as investigators work through what happened on Sunday evening. The loss of a 17-year-old on a summer outing is a stark reminder of how quickly a familiar hangout spot can turn dangerous. Our thoughts are with Marsch's family, his friends and the first responders who were called to the scene.
