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Fan falls to his death at Eagles-Bears game

A man died after falling about 35 feet during halftime of the Eagles-Bears game at Chicago's Soldier Field.

A man died after falling about 35 feet during halftime of the Eagles-Bears game at Chicago's Soldier Field.

Stuart Havert, 23, left friends to use a bathroom, but somehow wound up going over both a railing and a ledge before plummeting outside the stadium onto the roof of a room below, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Havert, who lived about 60 miles northwest of the city in Woodstock, Ill., enjoyed climbing buildings and trees, and might have climbed over the railing to sneak a cigarette behind one of the stadium's columns, friends told the newspaper.

He was found in critical condition, and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:24 p.m. Central time - a half-hour after the fall, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Although some reports said witnesses saw Havert run and jump, police were favoring the idea that the tragedy was an accident, the Sun-Times said.

The death is the second fatal fall at a professional sporting event this month.

A 2-year-old died Nov. 21 when he fell 50 feet during a Lakers game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The death was ruled an accident.