Jonathan Kelly, a 25-year-old Houston Texans fan, fell to his death while attending the Texans' preseason finale against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night. Reports indicate that Kelly was trying to slide down the outside of the escalator's handrail when he fell three stories to the pavement. Kelly was identified by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
Police said that Kelly was clowning around on the escalators in the highest level of Reliant Stadium when he fell. A witness told KHOU in Houston, "We [saw] him when he landed. He was not moving."
Sources told CBS Houston that the man was under the influence of alcohol. Per the Houston Chronicle, which talked to one of Kelly's coworkers, Kelly was attending the game with some friends. The coworker said Kelly had worked for about three months as a plant operator at a private water and wastewater utility company.
"[Kelly] was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital after we had had some fans get the attention of some Houston police officers who were nearby where the body fell," Houston Police Department spokesman John Cannon told the Associated Press.
In a Friday morning news conference, Mark Miller, the general manager of SMG Reliant Park, said that he didn't have specific details about what Kelly was doing before he fell, because there is an ongoing investigation. Miller also said that stadium staff is posted on each landing at escalators, and signs on the equipment encourage safety.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this moment," Miller said.
This is the second fan death in a Texas stadium in the last 13 months. In July of 2011, 39-year-old Shannon Stone fell to his death during a Texas Rangers baseball game in Arlington. Stone fell about 20 feet to the concrete when he was trying to catch a baseball tossed to the stands by an outfielder. The Rangers dedicated a statue of Stone at the home plate gate of the ballpark in April, and raised the railings in the stadium before the 2012 baseball season.