A 51-year-old man died on August 31 after jumping from a ledge inside the University of Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, according to the University of Florida Police Department (UFPD).
Officers responded to the stadium around 9:47 a.m. after receiving reports of an individual standing on a support beam in the west concourse. According to a UFPD statement, officers attempted to encourage the man to move toward them, but he instead stepped off the ledge and sustained fatal injuries.
Despite immediate life-saving measures attempted by officers, Alachua County Fire Rescue pronounced the man dead at 10:05 a.m. The UFPD stated that the man's name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin and confirmed he is not affiliated with the university. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Reports suggest the man may have been homeless, and officials confirmed no members of the public were present at the stadium at the time of the incident. The death occurred less than a week before the Florida Gators were scheduled to begin their football season at the stadium on September 5 against Florida Atlantic.