Two Naperville college students were among the eight people who died Friday at Houston's Astroworld music festival when tens of thousands of people rushed toward the stage, causing a stampede.
Jacob "Jake" Jurinek, 20 and Franco Patino, 21, were both Naperville natives and graduates of Neuqua Valley High School.
In a statement Sunday, Jurinek's family remembered their loved one for "his contagious enthusiasm, his boundless energy and his unwavering positive attitude."
"...We’re comforted by the fact that the hundreds of people Jake touched over the years will carry a piece... his spirit with them," his father, Ron Jurinek, said in the statement.
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Jurinek was a junior at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, pursuing his passions for art and media.
"Jacob was a creative, intelligent young man, with a promising career in journalism and advertising," SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin Lane said. "As we mourn this loss in our community, we will keep Jacob’s family and friends in our thoughts.”
Patino’s brother Cesar, in a statement to NBC 5, called his brother an “amazing person,” and said that he always lived life to the fullest.
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“I just want people to know that my brother isn’t just a number at a concert that died," he said. "He was a good, amazing person that loved to have joy and fun in his life, and wanted to be living his life to the fullest.
According to Dayton University, where Patino was a senior majoring in mechanical engineering technology, he was a member of Alpha Psi Lambda, and was active in numerous groups on campus.
“We extend our deepest sympathy and prayers to Franco’s….family, friends, professors and our campus community,” officials said in a statement.
According to police, both men were in a crowd that began to gather at approximately 9 p.m. for a performance by musician Travis Scott.
Concertgoers pushed toward the front of the stage prior to the start of the show, leading to panic and injuries, police said. The situation continued to escalate until approximately 9:38 p.m., when a “mass casualty incident” was triggered, according to Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña.
The victims ranged in age from 14 to 27, according to authorities, with a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old losing their lives in the incident.
Approximately 50,000 people were expected to attend the festival, but the second day of the concert series was canceled after the tragedy.
