This post will be updated with additional information as it becomes available.
A sailor assigned to USS Nimitz (CVN-68) died over the weekend following a fall aboard the aircraft carrier, a Navy spokesperson told USNI News on Monday.
Logistics Specialist Seaman Juan José Garcia-Herrera, 21, died early Saturday morning at the University of California San Diego Regional Trauma Center after the fall at just after 9 p.m. on Friday.
“Early reports indicate the sailor was returning to the ship, lost his balance after crossing the brow and fell from a lowered aircraft elevator. The cause of the accident is under investigation,” the service said in a statement.”
NCIS is currently investigating the circumstances of the fall, reported Navy Times.
Nimitz, homeported in Bremerton, Wash., departed earlier this month for pre-deployment training and is currently in port in San Diego.
Chicago native Garcia-Herrera had enlisted in the service in January 2017 and had been serving aboard the carrier since June 17, 2019, according to a copy of his releasable biography.
