California man, 21, dies in fall from Cosmo on New Year’s Day

A 21-year-old California man died New Year's weekend after falling several stories from The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, the Clark County coroner's office confirmed Wednesday.

It was the second consecutive New Year's weekend that a man plunged to his death while celebrating the holiday at a Strip resort.

Christopher Sergio Reveles of Corona, Calif., died from an accidental fall during which he suffered blunt-force trauma to his head and chest, the coroner's office said. He was pronounced dead at 8:15 a.m. Sunday. His body was found near the resort's tennis courts.

Neither family nor friends of Reveles could be reached for comment Wednesday.

Bill Cassell, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Department, said Reveles fell "about five stories." Investigators responded to the resort at 6:50 a.m.

"It's a tragedy," Cassell said. "It's one everybody seeks to avoid. Sometimes horrible accidents happen, and this appears to be one of them."

Cassell said a detective with the agency's Violent Crimes Section investigated the death.

Cosmopolitan spokeswoman Amy Rossetti released a one-paragraph statement:

"At this time we can confirm that there has been a guest incident. With respect of our guests' privacy, we cannot release any details at this time, but we are working to cooperate fully with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department."

Last year, Adrian Carlin of Pomona, Calif., fell to his death from a rooftop of the Planet Hollywood Resort.

More than 300,000 people visited the resort corridor during each of the past two years to celebrate the biggest New Year's party in the West.

GUEST SAW BODY BAG

Lana Reinson of Farmville, Va., was a guest at The Cosmopolitan from Saturday through Monday.

She said she was staying on the 22nd floor when she looked out of her room window Sunday morning and down toward the tennis courts, which were about 10 floors below her on an elevated roof.

Reinson said she first noticed a few security guards by the tennis courts, which she thought was odd.

Shortly after, she saw a person pushing a gurney through the tennis courts with what appeared to be a body bag on it. She also saw about 20 bills scattered on the tennis courts.

"There was money strewn all over the tennis courts," Reinson said. "It was very strange."

Reinson said what appeared to be plainclothes detectives were standing near an awning near the tennis courts.

Reinson said her room did not have a balcony on it, but other rooms that she could see from her hotel window did.

Rossetti said most of the hotel's rooms have terraces with railing.

It's rare that Strip properties have balconies.

OTHER STRIP HOTEL DEATHS

The discovery of Reveles' body is the second death at The Cosmopolitan. On March 4, 25-year-old Sean Campe of Collingswood, N.J., jumped from a ledge on the 14th story of the hotel-casino.

But unlike Campe's death, neither Reveles' nor Carlin's deaths were suicides.

Carlin, 25, is thought to have fallen to his death early Jan. 1, 2011. His body wasn't found until Jan. 3.

Police determined that Carlin's death was an accident and that he was intoxicated. Carlin fell five or six stories from a Planet Hollywood rooftop and onto a second rooftop.

Carlin was reported missing Jan. 1. His body was discovered in a construction zone that was not accessible to the public.

Steve Caruso, a lawyer who represented Carlin's family shortly after his death, blamed Planet Hollywood.

Carlin walked into a pool area shortly before 12:30 a.m., Caruso said. It was then that he called a friend and told him he was intoxicated and wasn't sure how to get out from where he was.

After Carlin's friends asked for help, it took 40 minutes for the Planet Hollywood security to check out the pool area and look for him, Caruso said.

Caruso thinks Carlin fell off the roof during that time period.

Bridgette Carlin, Adrian Carlin's mother, said Wednesday that her family hoped to pursue a civil lawsuit against Planet Hollywood, but lawyers told her the family wouldn't win because Carlin was intoxicated.

Bridgette Carlin also said lawyers told her the area of Planet Hollywood her son ventured into was "reasonably secured" with curtains; therefore, he shouldn't have walked into the area.

Bridgette Carlin, whose son was the father of a 2-year-old girl, became emotional when learning about the recent accidental death at a Strip property.

She said she is positive that more could be done by resort management to prevent future deaths on what is supposed to be a festive weekend.

"I am enraged," Carlin said. "I am angry. I'd love to be able to help these (Reveles') parents. I'm still dealing with the death of my son."

Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@review journal.com or 702-383-4638.