A 20-year-old woman, a college student from New Jersey, died in the state of Florida on Sunday, July 26, 2026, after an accidental fall. She was on vacation with friends and exploring historic ruins on Friday, July 24, 2026, when the incident occurred.
The victim was identified as 20-year-old Victoria Zardoya. Friends who accompanied her said she fell while visiting Fort Dade, located on Egmont Key, Florida.
This remote island is located at the mouth of Tampa Bay and is accessible exclusively by boat, making relief logistics a challenge in emergency situations.
Victoria Zardoya was close friends with Milania Guidice, daughter of “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Teresa Guidice.
The Guidice family posted messages of tribute and condolences on various social media platforms.
Victoria Silberbusch, who identified herself as a friend of Zardoya, shared a detailed account of the alleged accident in a lengthy social media post.
Silberbusch described that Victoria fell from the ruins while the group was taking a boat ride around the island.
The friend described Zardoya’s injuries as “brutal” and assured that “no one hesitated” to act to help the victim immediately after the fall.
After the group called 911 and fired flares from their boats, paramedics reportedly arrived at the scene by boat. A medical helicopter then transported the young woman to a nearby hospital.
The victim, unfortunately, died from his injuries two days after the accident.
“Victoria was never alone. From the moment she fell, every person there did everything in their power to help her,” Silberbusch said.
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office call records indicate the agency responded to an incident on Egmont Key on Friday just before 5 p.m. and closed the incident at 11:16 p.m. the same day.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has not yet released the official incident report, which was requested by news outlets.
