Westfield, NJ grad died jumping from balcony in order to help woman

🔴 Henry Meacock was a 2021 graduate of Westfield High and attended Ohio State

🔴 The 19-year-old jumped from a balcony to help a guest get her dropped phone or ID

🔴 His funeral was Saturday in Westfield

WESTFIELD — A 19-year-old Ohio State student who died on spring break in Mexico lived up to the description in his obituary of being “a gentleman to his very core."

Henry Meacock, a finance major in the school's Fisher College of Business, was laid to rest Saturday at St. Helen Church. He was a member of the Westfield High School Class of 2021.

A cause of death and location was not disclosed by Ohio State in its announcement of Meacock's March 15 death.

The state attorney general and medical examiner for the Mexican state of Jalisco told the New York Post that Henry Meacock died while jumping from one balcony to another at the Melia Hotel. His jump was unsuccessful and he fell three floors crashing through a plexiglass platform below.

Friends on social media said he was helping a woman from the room above retrieve the ID or phone she dropped, according to the Post.

Melia is a Spanish-based international chain of hotels with resorts around the world.

Friends and family brought happiness

According to his obituary, Meacock was born in England and moved to the United States when he was 3 years old.

Friendships and family were ultimately what gave him happiness. He oozed kindness where ever he went and never judged others or tried to change anyone’s mind but at the same time held on to his beliefs. He was a gentleman to his very core and as genuine a person you could ever wish to meet. He was never the loudest and often could be quiet but “still waters” ran deep in his case.

His older sister Elle eulogized her brother at his funeral as someone she looked up to and someone she wanted to spend time with.

“My most treasured moments in this life has been with Henry,” Ellie said. “He loved life and he loved everyone in his life, specifically the love he had for our parents — raw, playful and genuine."

The Threes bar and restaurant near the Ohio State campus is holding a fundraiser for Meacock’s family Monday and donating 100% of their profits.

"We can’t say we knew Henry Meacock, but he’s a Buckeye, therefore one of us. We know when tough things happen, that’s when this community comes together, shows up and rallies together," the restaurant wrote on its Facebook page.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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