National Basketball Association

Nets superfan Jeffrey Vanchiro dead after fall from window

Published Dec. 15, 2014 7:48 a.m. ET

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A Brooklyn Nets fan known for his colorful get-ups and excitable nature in the stands died Sunday, according to multiple reports.

Jeffrey Vanchiro, 38, was recently in the headlines after video surfaced of him being carried out of a game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

According to Vanchiro's fiancee, Kristi Evans, he woke up disoriented at his father's house and fell out of a two-story window. Vanchiro reportedly suffered brain damage and a spinal cord fracture and was hooked up to a ventilator at a nearby hospital on Sunday.

Evans says Vanchiro had been staying with his father lately and that the MSG incident had prompted troubling changes in his behavior, telling the New York Times: "He was paranoid. He was erratic. He was frightened. He was horrified. He was a bit delusional. He was having a lot of trouble sleeping. He couldn't sleep at all. When he would sleep, or try to sleep, it would only take about 10 or 15 minutes before he would jump up screaming covered in sweat." 

Brooklyn Nets CEO Brett Yormark released a statement lamenting the news:

"On behalf of ownership and the entire organization, I am terribly saddened to learn about Jeffrey's death. A proud Brooklynite, Jeffrey was a passionate Nets fan and one of our most visible and loyal supporters. I was delighted that he joined the team on our trip to London last season and I always enjoyed his enthusiasm while dancing and cheering during Nets games at Barclays Center. The entire organization expresses our deepest condolences to his family and friends. He will be missed."

According to the New York Daily News, the Nets will honor Vanchiro before Tuesday night's game against the Miami Heat. 

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