Photo: Arizona Supreme Court/Twitter
An 18-year-old freshman at Arizona State University fell to his death while on spring break vacation in Mexico.
Aiden Nevarez fatally fell over a short wall while staying at the Hotel Riu Santa Fe in Cabo San Lucas earlier this month, according to NBC News. The wall, which was lined with vegetation and had palm trees on the other side, had a 20-foot drop on the other side.
Nevarez and his friends arrived at the hotel on March 6. The incident happened hours after arriving that Sunday.
"It’s just so sad for all of us. All of his friends, all of his family. We just never thought that this would happen," Jack Fitzgerald, Nevarez's friend and roommate, told 12 News. Fitzgerald described Nevarez as "the most genuine kid that I knew. The biggest smile. He was so loved. Everybody loved Aiden."
Nevarez graduated from Pinnacle High School in Phoenix in 2021. He was studying business at Arizona State University.
The night before the boys arrived in Mexico, Nevarez said something to Fitzgerald that he'll never forget: "I can almost quote it word for word but he said, 'Jack, we have the best lives ever. I cannot imagine my life a different way," Fitzgerald recalled.
The Fitzgeralds launched a GoFundMe to assist his family with expenses and funeral arrangements. At the time of this writing, over $105,000 has been raised for Nevarez's family.