ASU Student Accidentally Falls 20 Feet to His Death at Hotel in Mexico During Spring Break: 'He Was So Loved'

An Arizona State University student died during a tragic accident, falling 20 feet to his death at his hotel during Spring Break in Mexico.

Eighteen-year-old Aiden Nevarez had arrived at the Hotel Riu Sante Fe in Cabo San Lucas on Sunday, with a group of classmates for his first college spring break, just hours before the unthinkable tragedy occurred.

A photo of the hotel area where the accident took place shows the location of a short wall with tops of palm trees on the other side that resembled short bushes, camouflaging the 20-foot drop, 12News reported.

“It’s a palm tree that goes down, but it is kind of hard to tell it almost looks it is just a shrub or a bush and the little wall there is probably about knee height,” said Jake Reithinger, who was one of the friends on the trip with Nevarez.

Nevarez, a wrestler at Pinnacle High School and a 2021 graduate, was described as a person who always had a “positive attitude and a smile.” A person who “lit up any room he walked into.”

“He was just the most genuinely happy person I’ve ever met in my life,” said Nevarez’s best friend and roommate, Jack Fitzgerald, 12News reported. 

“He was so loved. Everybody loved Aiden,” he said.

Fitzgerald shared a conversation the pair had the day before their trip. “He pulled me aside and said, I could almost quote it word for word, ‘Jack, we have the best lives ever. I couldn’t imagine my life a different way,'” AZ Family reported. 

Now the grieving family is working on getting his body home to Arizona.

A GoFundMe has been started by Fitzgerald and his family. As of Thursday, nearly $83,000 has been raised, surpassing their initial goal of $80,000.

“As you can imagine, the horrific news of Aiden's passing has been devastating to his family, friends and all who knew and loved Aiden,” Tracy Fitzgerald wrote in the GoFundMe. “The proceeds will help with expenses to bring Aiden home from Mexico and help with his final arrangements.”

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