Jerry Vu, 19, of Huntington Beach. Photo courtesy of Jerry Vu’s GoFundMe page.
A young man who was found dead at Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) Friday morning has been identified by the coroner’s office.
Authorities identified him as 19-year-old Jerry Vu and ruled his death a suicide caused by blunt force head trauma. His body was found on the north side of Parking Structure 1, which caused an hour-long structure closure Friday morning as police investigated the incident.
“My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends,” CSULB President Jane Close Conoley said in an email sent to the campus community Friday afternoon.
Jerry was a Huntington Beach resident studying business administration at CSULB, according to his Facebook profile. According to university spokesman Mike Uhlenkamp, he was last enrolled as a student during the Spring 2016 term.
Many family and friends took to social media to offer condolences and share memories of Jerry, who was a performance artist with The GOOD Project, an Irvine-based dance company.
In honor of Jerry, a GoFundMe account has been created by his brother Thomas Vu to benefit the dance community. Thomas said he will direct funds to artists, performers and creatives.
“He’s gained so much from the community through the many passionate hours he’s put in,” said Thomas in the GoFundMe page description. “This will be one more way for him to give back.”
So far, over $11,000 has been raised as of Monday afternoon out of a requested $3,000 goal.
A candlelight dance vigil was held Sunday evening at the University of California Irvine (UCI),where Jerry spent a lot of his time dancing, his brother stated. Family, friends and members of his dance community celebrated Jerry’s life by sharing stories and conducting a dance freestyle circle.
A viewing will be held on Friday, November 11 from 9:00AM to 9:00PM and a mass service will be held at 6:00AM on Saturday, November 12. A location has not yet been announced.
“We are touched by the amount of people who have reached out to us with their condolences,” Thomas said.
CSULB community members who are dealing with personal issues are urged to visit Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), located at Brotman Hall, room 226 or on the phone at (562) 985-4001, and faculty and staff can make an appointment with a university Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) counselor at (562) 985-7434.