Gabriela Rodriguez Tezoco, an 18-year-old, who just graduated falls to tragic death from Mexico carnival ride in Cabo San Lucas

An 18-year-old woman, Gabriela Rodríguez Tezoco, died after falling from a moving carnival ride during a festival in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. A video circulating online appears to show the moments before the fatal fall, raising questions about the ride’s safety restraints. Gabriela Rodríguez Tezoco's death was confirmed on Wednesday, Oct. 21, by the Municipal Directorate of Civil Protection and Risk Management of the XV Ayuntamiento de Los Cabos.

She had graduated from the Colegio de Bachilleres de Baja California Sur, Plantel 10, in Cabo San Lucas, earlier in 2026. The school remembered her in a tribute that said, “May your smile remain alive in our memory and may your memory always be a light that guides us.”

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The incident occurred on Tuesday, October 20, at the Cabo San Lucas Traditional Festival. Gabriela was riding an attraction known as “The Pendulum” when she fell from the moving ride, according to reports by People and the New York Post. Emergency responders and Mexican Red Cross personnel rushed to help her. She was taken to a nearby hospital but died from her injuries, the local government confirmed.

Video shows moments before Gabriela Rodríguez Tezoco's fatal fall

According to the New York Post, cellphone footage recorded by another rider captured Gabriela Rodríguez Tezoco falling from the attraction while it continued spinning at high speed. Other riders could be heard screaming as the incident unfolded. Tezoco had just graduated this summer from the Baja California Sur College of Baccalaureate Studies. Another video taken by another rider shows Tezoco plummeting to the ground from “The Pendulum,” a spinning ride at the Cabo San Lucas Traditional Festivals.

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“It is with deep sorrow that we report that the young woman who was injured in the incident that occurred in the amusement park area of ​​the Cabo San Lucas Traditional Festivals, and who was immediately transferred to receive medical attention, lost her life despite the efforts of the health personnel,” the Los Cabos City Council wrote on social media.

“The Pendulum” ride was closed in the wake of the incident while safety tests are carried out on it and the other attractions at the fair, Los Cabos mayor Christian Agundez told local reporters.

“Today, with the same spirit with which we come together to celebrate, we must come together to support Gabriela’s family. It could have been any one of us. You are not alone,” Agundez said during an appearance at a concert which was part of the festival.

Mayor speaks on Gabriela Rodríguez Tezoco's tragic death

Los Cabos Mayor Christian Agúndez Gómez also addressed the tragedy, calling on the community to support Gabriela’s family. “Today, with the same spirit with which we come together to celebrate, we must come together to support Gabriela's family. It could have been any of us. You are not alone,” he said during an appearance at a festival concert, according to the New York Post.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing, led by the General Prosecutor’s Office of the State of Baja California Sur. “The Municipality of Los Cabos will fully cooperate and provide all necessary support to the family,” according to a translation of the XV Ayuntamiento de Los Cabos’s announcement.