- A person fell to their death at The Ohio State University’s graduation ceremony
- Police and first responder blocked off a portion at the football stadium
- The ceremony continued but left those who had witnessed the jump shaken
One person has died at Ohio State University’s graduation ceremony after falling to their death from the stadium stands.
A call was placed to the emergency services at around 12:30pm on Sunday afternoon. The person fell as students were walking in to the ceremony at the campus’ football stadium – and many did not know about the tragedy until after the event.
‘I need medics and some officers at gate 30 (of Ohio Stadium)… had one fall off the stadium’, came the call.
‘An individual fell from the stands. They are deceased,’ said OSU spokesperson Ben Johnson.
‘We have no additional details to share at this time. Police and emergency responders are on scene. For anyone affected by today’s incident, we will make counseling and other support resources available,’ Johnson added.
The name of the deceased person has not been released.
On social media those who were present at the ceremony named the person who fell, did so deliberately.
‘News and campus keep saying “fell,” witnesses say ‘jumped.’ There was no yelling, no scream, they jumped,’ wrote a TikTok user named Lexi.
‘They aren’t 100% sure but yes witnesses said the person jumped from what I’ve heard,’ added Chelsie. ‘I know people who saw and heard it. Awful for everyone involved.
‘I was there, I worked there today and heard about it an hour after I happened. ‘They just kept moving with the day like nothing happened,’ stated another social media user named Kellie.
One witness recalled how they saw the person fall just as graduates were entering the stadium in the southeast corner, using a tunnel usually used by football players during OSU home games.
By the time the ceremony was over, students were seen leaving the ceremony walking past a cordoned off area where the body had fallen, reported the Columbus Dispatch.
A reporter for the Dispatch told people in the stands who had witnessed the fall were visibly upset.
‘For anyone affected by today’s incident, we will make counseling and other support resources available,’ an Ohio State University spokesperson said in a statement.