28-year-old former MLS player dies after falling from 11th floor balcony in China

Flowers are laid around of a portrait of Gabonese football Aaron Boupendza outside the Zhejiang FC building in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province of China, to mourn him on April 17. (VCG/AP via CNN Newsource)

Former MLS and Gabon forward Aaron Boupendza has died aged 28 following a fall from the 11th floor of a building in China, local authorities confirmed.

The striker, who played for FC Cincinnati and Romanian club Rapid București, joined Chinese Super League side Zhejiang FC earlier this year.

The Hangzhou Public Security Bureau confirmed that officials responded to the player’s rental residence after receiving reports from the public of someone falling from a building at 1:14 p.m. local time on Wednesday.

“Our bureau quickly organized police forces to deal with the situation, and immediately sent the injured to the hospital for treatment. The injured was later declared dead in the hospital,” the bureau said in a statement posted on its official Weibo page, confirming Boupendza’s identity.

“After on-site investigation, visits and interviews of relevant parties by public security officers, and checking surveillance videos, it was found that he died after falling from the balcony of his rental residence, and a criminal case was ruled out,” the authorities confirmed.

Zhejiang FC said in a statement that it was “fully cooperating with the relevant departments to carry out the investigation.”

“All the staff of the club express their deepest condolences to his family,” the club added.

FEGAFOOT paid homage to the striker in a statement posted on X on Wednesday: “Aged 28, Boupendza will be remembered as a great striker, who left a lasting impression at the AFCON in Cameroon.

“FEGAFOOT and the entire Gabonese soccer community offer their sincere condolences to his family in this difficult time,” the statement concluded.

Interim Gabon president Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema said on X: “It is with great sadness that I learned of the tragic passing of Aaron Boupendza, a talented center forward who brought honor to Gabonese football. I offer my sincere condolences to his family and loved ones. May God bless his soul.”