15-year-old concertgoer dies after 50-foot fall at historic WA park, family says
A 15-year-old boy died after falling 50 feet from a Washington park structure during a concert, his family said.
First responders got a call about the incident at about 10:20 p.m. July 10 at Gas Works Park, the Seattle Fire Department said in an email to McClatchy News.
Mattheis Johnson fell from a structure at the park during a pop-up concert, his family said in a GoFundMe page.
He was taken to a Harborview Medical Center, where he died, fire officials said.
“His passing comes as an unexpected shock to all those who knew him,” Ballard High School Principal Abby Hunt said in a message to families, obtained by McClatchy News.
Mattheis was a student at Ballard High School and was involved in numerous school activities, including choir, garment club, and track and field, Hunt said.
His family said he was “a bright, blossoming soul—an artist, musician, and friend to many,” according to the GoFundMe page.
“Many described him as having an old soul. He sang, produced his own music on Spotify, loved deep conversations, fashion, ran track, and played ultimate frisbee for Ballard High School,” the page said.
Gas Works Park was a gas plant in the early 1900s before being converted into a public park in 1975.
The park kept some of its original structures and added a play and picnic area.
Some of the old structures are fenced off. Fire officials did not say which structure Mattheis fell from.
This story was originally published July 15, 2025 at 6:28 PM with the headline "15-year-old concertgoer dies after 50-foot fall at historic WA park, family says."
