A 20-year-old woman from New Jersey died during a Florida getaway with friends while visiting historic ruins, according to multiple reports.
Victoria Zardoya, 20, was killed Friday after friends said she fell while exploring Fort Dade on Egmont Key, a well-known island destination off Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Egmont Key sits at the entrance to Tampa Bay and can be reached only by boat, making it a popular but remote stop for tourists and history seekers.
Zardoya was also known as a close friend of Milania Giudice, the daughter of “Real Housewives of New Jersey” personality Teresa Giudice.
Victoria Zardoya, 20, died after friends said she fell from ruins while visiting a popular Florida tourist site. (Victoria Zardoya Instagram/Meta)
Members of the Giudice family have shared messages of grief and support across social media, E! News reported.
A woman identified as Victoria Silberbusch, who described herself as a friend of Zardoya, posted a lengthy tribute online that included her account of what allegedly happened.
According to Silberbusch, Zardoya fell from the ruins while the group was taking part in a boating tour around the island.
The group of friends was allegedly touring the ruins of Fort Dade on Egmont Key in Florida. (Getty Images: James Robert Smith)
She described Zardoya’s injuries as “brutal” and maintains that “no one hesitated” to jump into action to render aid to the victim.
Friends to Victoria Zardoya have been posting tributes to the victim on social media. (Victoria Zardoya Instagram/Meta)
After the group called 911 and sent flares from boats, paramedics reportedly responded by boat and a medical helicopter flew the victim to a nearby hospital.
The victim reportedly died of her injuries two days later.
Victoria Zardoya was reportedly killed while touring ruins on Egmont Key, her friends claim. (Tinik)
“Victoria was never alone. From the moment she fell, every person there did everything within their power to help her,” Silberbusch said.
According to calls for service logs for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, it appears the agency responded to an incident on Egmont Key on Friday just before 5 p.m. and cleared out the event by 11:16 p.m. on the same day.
Fort Dade is a popular tourist destination for boating visitors on Egmont Key. (Getty Images: Jim Vallee)
INC News has requested a copy of the incident report from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
