Arizona college student dies after 20-foot fall at Mexico hotel hours after arriving for spring break trip

‘He was the most genuine kid that I knew’

Aiden Nevarez as pictured in a GoFundMe fundraiser (Tracy Fitzgerald / Sayra Nevarez / GoFundMe)

A freshman student from Arizona State University (ASU) has died after falling from a height while on Spring Break in Mexico, his family and friends have said.

Aiden Nevarez, aged 18, was with four of his friends on Sunday when he fell over a short wall at his hotel and died of his injuries, said fellow students Jake Reithinger and Jack Fitzgerald.

It happened when Nevarez appeared to accidentally fall from a height of about 20 feet at the Hotel Riu Santa Fe in Baja California, two AZU students who were with Nevaez on the trip said on Wednesday.

He had only arrived in Cabo San Lucas, a popular beach destination on the southern tip of the Mexican peninsula, hours earlier on Sunday. The city and beach resort is a popular destination for Spring Break.

Mr Reithinger told KTVK/KPHO the wall was “about knee height” and that the drop appeared to be hidden by palm trees that were in front of the wall, which “almost looks like it’s just a shrub or a bush”.

His roommate and best friend Mr Fitzgerald added: “The day before me and Aiden went to Cabo, he pulled me aside and said, I could almost quote it word for word, but he says, ‘Jack, we have the best lives ever. I couldn’t imagine my life a different way.’”

“Never in a million years did anyone who knew us or knew Aiden expect us to be sitting here right now,” he told KPNX. “He was the most genuine kid that I knew. The biggest smile. He was so loved. Everybody loved Aiden.”

Nearly $100,000 (£76,000) has been raised by family friends of Nevarez, who wrote on a GoFundMe that the ASU freshman “was a happy, charismatic young man that lit up any room he walked into.”

“I have two children in college and a third one going in the fall and when I saw this story it broke my heart,” wrote one contributor on Friday. “From one Mom to another I am sending so much love and am praying for your family. I was drawn by Aiden’s charismatic smile and the beautiful words from his friends -a testament to the son you raised, may he rest in sweet peace.”

Organiser of the fundraiser Tracy Fitzgerald said the funds will help to bring Nevarez’s body home from Mexico.

Reports meanwhile said that Nevarez’s death certificate ruled it to be an accident from a fall, and it was not clear if drugs or alcohol were in his system.

A spokesperson for the Hotel Riu Santa Fe told The Independent on Friday: “We are deeply dismayed regarding the events happened in the facilities of our hotel Riu Santa Fe and we are willing to help and support the family and their relatives during this sad process.”

The hotel said it could not offer more information while an investigation by local authorities was pending.