A Largo teen died after cliff diving into a widely trespassed quarry. Deputies believe he was one of several individuals who saw videos of trespassers cliff diving at these quarries on social media and wanted to try it for himself.
Trey Austin Dagwan Cardozo passed away after he cliff-dove into an inactive lime rock mining quarry located at the 6400th block of NW Gainesville Road in Ocala. The 17-year-old was found unresponsive in the quarry around 3:45 p.m. Monday, by Marion County deputies.
"He just lived life to the fullest, he didn't let anybody get him down, he was just everybody's friend, everybody loved him," said friend Mikhayla Morrison, who attended Seminole High School with Trey.
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Cardozo died from his injuries at Ocala Regional Medical Center early Tuesday morning. His cause of death is pending further investigation with the Medical Examiner’s Office.
"We're not invincible and a lot of people, it's just, you don't ever think it will be you and he really didn't think it was going to be him," said friend Destiny Winter.
Several hours before Cardozo’s accident on Monday, 13 people, 12 adults and one juvenile, were arrested in a separate incident for trespassing on private property to swim in the inactive lime rock quarry.
On June 25, three juveniles were arrested for trespassing on private property in this same area. They told deputies they were swimming in the quarry and taking pictures, knowing they were trespassing on private property.
No one was injured during these incidents.
Cardozo is the second person to have died as a result of trespassing on private property and diving or swimming in a Marion County lime rock quarry this summer.
On May 27, 18-year-old Zachary Newton, a senior at King High School in Tampa, drowned in a lime rock quarry at the Hard Rock Cycle Park located at the 6800th block of NW Gainesville Road.
In all of these cases, these individuals saw videos of trespassers cliff diving into Ocala quarries on social media and wanted to try it themselves.
The sheriff's office says it is concerned with a YouTube video glorifying cliff jumps may convince some people to risk taking a jump with deadly results.
ABC Action News tracked down the YouTube video in question. Its producer declined to comment Tuesday night.
"It's really putting people in danger and I think that teenagers need to realize that it's not always worth it," said Winter.
The Marion County Sheriff's Office released a statement saying that they will be proactively patrolling these areas and strictly enforcing state statutes for anyone involved in trespassing at these locations.
"Cliff diving and swimming in these areas is extremely dangerous and has taken the lives of two young adults with promising, bright futures this summer already. The men and women of the MCSO will do everything in their power to prevent further loss of life as a result of these preventable accidents."
