Man Falls to Death at Anaheim Stadium

A 19-year-old man fell to his death Wednesday night from the upper levels of Anaheim Stadium during a California Angels game.

Police said it was not immediately clear whether the man jumped, was pushed or accidentally fell, although there was no immediate indication of foul play.

Apparently, few if any of the 22,765 spectators witnessed the fall, which occurred outside the stadium, and the game continued uninterrupted, police said.

The fall occurred about 8:15 p.m., between the sixth and seventh innings of the game against the Chicago White Sox, city of Anaheim spokeswoman Sheri Erlewine said.

Erlewine said the man, whose name and hometown were not released pending notification of relatives, fell on his back from one of the stadium’s upper levels and was killed instantly.

The man landed on a 10-foot-tall concrete awning outside the stadium near Gate 5, according to a source at the scene who asked not to be identified.

Police were trying to determine whether the man jumped from either the concourse, a circular walkway surrounding the stadium at the upper levels, or the ramps ringing the outer rim of the arena. The ramps are bordered by 5-foot-tall concrete walls.

Erlewine said that it would be impossible for someone sitting in the uppermost seats to climb or jump through window-like openings at the top of the stands.

The victim was declared dead at the scene, and the Orange County coroner’s office took custody of the body pending an autopsy, police said.

At a postgame news conference, Erlewine said the victim did not have a ticket stub on him. “Anaheim police are working with stadium officials to determine how this man died,” Erlewine said, “and who he was with, if anyone, before he fell.”

It was the first fatal fall in the history of the 22-year-old arena.