Officials Want to End U of I 'Unofficial St. Patrick's Day' After Third Death Since 2006

CHAMPAIGN, IL — A University of Illinois student from Franklin Park died Friday night during "Unofficial St. Patrick's Day" celebrations after falling four stories from an apartment balcony, and the school's chief has called for an end to the annual alcohol-fueled festivities.

Police received a call shortly after 10:30 p.m. that someone had fallen from a balcony around 51 East John Street.

Jonathan Morales, 23, a junior majoring in communications, died around 11:30 p.m. Friday night after being treated on scene by emergency personnel, according to the city of Champaign.

Friday was "Unofficial St. Patrick's Day" in the college town. It's an annual event that brings out thousands of young people to parties and bars around campus. Morales' death was believed to be related to the event, according to the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette.

“It was just really, really traumatic," U of I sophomore Jessica Covaci told the Chicago Tribune. She said she lived in a nearby apartment and saw Morales after his fall from an interior balcony, "I won’t ever forget what I saw."

A University spokesperson told The Daily Illini Morales was the third person since 2001 to die during "Unofficial," an all-day drinking celebration. Caroline Yoon in fell off the back of a motorcycle in 2006 and Brad Bunte was hit by two cars in 2011, the Illini reported.

In a statement, U of I Chancellor Robert Jones called for the event to be canceled in future, “On behalf of the university, I offer sincere condolences to his family and friends. Going forward, we must find a way to work together as a community to end this event and avoid more senseless tragedy,” according to the student paper.

A woman who said she was Morales' aunt set up a GoFundMe page to assist with funeral expenses on which she described him as a "wonderful happy spirited young man who loved dancing and music" and "left many of us with loving memories that we will forever cherish."

He attended East Leyden High School in Franklin Park, according to his Facebook page.

"You can genuinely have the best intentions and things still won't work out for you, that's just life," he posted on Tuesday.

Top photo: Jonathan Morales via GoFundMe