Authorities in Spain have launched an investigation following the death of a Spanish influencer, who passed away during a live broadcast on New Year’s Eve. The incident involved a dangerous challenge where he consumed a mix of cocaine and alcohol in exchange for money.
Sergio Jiménez, who celebrated his 37th birthday on December 13, had committed to ingesting six grams of cocaine along with a bottle of whisky within a three-hour window. This challenge was funded by viewers who provided the substances and paid to watch the event unfold, as reported by the media.
Living with his mother, Teresa, in Vilanova i la Geltrú, a town just outside Barcelona, Jiménez’s last moments turned tragic. Teresa discovered his bedroom door slightly open around 2 a.m. on that fateful Wednesday morning, she shared with El Periódico de Catalunya.
“I asked him what he was doing, but he didn’t respond,” she recounted to the newspaper.
Attempting to enter the room, Teresa found resistance from behind the door. Concerned, she contacted her other sons for help, and Daniel, one of her sons, quickly arrived to assist.
Upon forcing entry into the room, Daniel discovered his brother kneeling by the bed in a position resembling prayer. Sergio’s head rested on the mattress, and he clutched his phone, still streaming live, according to Daniel’s account to El Periódico. Sergio was unresponsive and cold. Nearby, an almost empty whisky bottle, two energy drink cans, and a small pile of cocaine on a strip of red paper were found on a table.
Viewers’ voices could be heard from the phone, according to Daniel, with them asking: “Are you sleeping off your hangover yet Sergio? Haven’t you finished your bottle of whisky?”
Jiménez was allegedly emulating streamer Simón Pérez, a fallen real estate developer who now earns his money by using drugs in front of paying live audiences on various platforms, according to El País. Jiménez, known as “Sancho” or “Sssanchopanza” on the Kick and Twitch streaming platforms, fashioned his own spinoff after starring alongside his mentor in a series of such videos in October.
Teresa’s other son, Jordi, had told their mother Jiménez was making extreme videos. He was already dealing with mental illness and addiction, she said.
The Catalan police force, Mossos d’Esquadra, has ordered an autopsy and is investigating the matter as a possible crime, looking for who supplied the drugs, who encouraged Jiménez, and other factors, they told El País. Police also released a video cautioning against participating in dangerous “viral challenges.”
