(CNN) — An Indiana man died after falling off a cliff in Puerto Rico while trying to record a video for TikTok, according to his family.
Edgar Garay, 27, of Indiana, was on a recreational day trip off the southwest coast of Puerto Rico on Jan. 29 when he fell off a 70-foot (21-meter) coastal cliff near the lighthouse at Cabo Rojo, according to a US Coast Guard news release.
The fall was reported to the Coast Guard that night and Garay’s body was recovered the next day by a Puerto Rico Emergency Diving Unit.
Edgar’s brother, Carlos Garay, called his brother a “daredevil,” according to CNN affiliate WTHR. Carlos was not in Puerto Rico and said that a cousin had taken his brother touring the cliffs at the time.
“My brother has a TikTok account that he loved to upload videos to,” Carlos said. “Unfortunately, that was what he was trying to do when he was closer to the edge than he should have been.”
Carlos created a verified GoFundMe to cover the costs of transporting his brother’s body back to Indiana.
“Our family is now on a mission to bring our adorable brother home so he can rest among friends and family,” he wrote in the description of the fundraising page.
Coast Guard officials also expressed their condolences to Garay’s family in the statement.
“We express our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Edgar Garay and pray that they find closure and strength during this very difficult time,” said Captain José E. Díaz, commanding officer of the San Juan Coast Guard Sector, in the statement.
“We appreciate the efforts of all the emergency services of the Coast Guard, the Puerto Rico Police and associated agencies, especially the diving unit of the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Bureau that was able to locate the body of Mr. Garay in such an inaccessible and challenging environment.”
