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College student falls to his death from hotel balcony while vacationing in Cancun

Police are determining what led to the Michigan teenager's fall.
Image: Ahmed Altaii
Ahmed Altaii, 19, fell from a hotel balcony in Cancun while on spring break.Facebook

A college student on spring break died after he fell from the balcony of his seventh-floor hotel room in Cancun, authorities in Mexico said.

Ahmed Altaii, 19, of Dearborn, Michigan, was vacationing with his girlfriend, Heidi Newman, when he fell Saturday night, the Mexican Municipal Secretariat of Public Security and Transit told NBC-affiliate WDIV.

Newman told The Detroit Free Press at a vigil Sunday that Altaii had talked about returning to Cancun with friends.

"I miss him so much," she said. "We were so happy. He was the love of my life. I wish he was here right now. We all do."

Police are determining what led the teenager to fall to his death.

Altaii was a business student at Henry Ford College in Dearborn, a spokesperson for the school said. He enrolled in the program in 2018 after taking classes at the college while still attending Dearborn Fordson High School.

"Ahmed’s passing is a terrible loss for our community. All of us at Henry Ford College send our deepest condolences and sympathy to the family and friends who are suffering from this tragedy," the spokesperson said.