An up-and-coming DJ has been identified as the man who tragically died of a suspected overdose at a music festival that has since been inflamed by attendees.
Antony Maugeri, 23, was one of three people taken to hospital after suffering suspected overdoses at the Pitch music festival, held near Ararat in south-west Victoria, this past weekend.
He was flown to Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital about 1am on Sunday, where he died shortly afterwards. The other two men in their 20s and 30s both survived.
Event organizers canceled the festival later that day, citing a dangerous heat wave and extreme fire conditions, and asked the thousands of attendees to leave by Monday morning.
The festival had gone ahead with an altered schedule on Saturday evening despite warnings from the Country Fire Authority (CFA) on the day and before the event.
The organizers have since come under fire from both revelers and politicians for not canceling the event earlier, knowing that the challenging conditions would hit the area.
Antony Maugeri (pictured) has been identified as the man who tragically died of a suspected overdose at the Pitch music festival on Sunday
Maugeri’s best mate remembered the aspiring DJ as ‘the most loyal and caring human being’ in a heartbreaking post on social media.
‘Losing your best mate is something I never thought I’d have to prepare for,’ he wrote on Facebook.
‘It will be hard to open my phone and not have a text from you every day, but I know you will watch over me, my family and the rest of our group of friends from above.
‘I am grateful for all the memories we have made over the years and I will cherish them forever.’
The music festival’s organizers acknowledged Maugeri’s death on Sunday evening, taking to Instagram to say they are ‘deeply saddened’ by the news.
‘We are devastated that this has happened at an event where the community has been a driving force over the past seven years,’ the post reads.
‘We understand the timing of this news will be disruptive to festival goers who are currently safely exiting the event.’
The Victorian Greens said Maugeri’s death was another reason to introduce pill testing at events.
“How many more (suspected) overdoses have to happen in Victoria before the new Premier shifts gears and finally establishes pill testing in Victoria?” The Greens’ spokesman for drug harm reduction, Aiv Puglielli, said on Monday.
“As this Labor government continues to stall, young Victorian lives are being put at risk.
“Even with pure MDMA, we’ve seen how extreme heat can deliver a deadly blow.
“So with untested drugs in circulation, this was really a disaster waiting to happen.”
The festival had been canceled on Sunday afternoon through a statement to their social media accounts, which some were unable to make out due to poor reception.
“Through consultation with the authorities, we have been asked to cancel the remainder of Pitch Music & Arts 2024 in light of an updated extreme fire danger warning issued (Sunday) afternoon,” the statement read.
‘No one is in immediate danger. We encourage everyone on site to take their time, pack calmly and leave either tonight or tomorrow morning.
‘Please remember to stay hydrated and be patient and calm with the staff and each other.’
Maugeri was airlifted to Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital about 1am on Sunday, where he would later die
Numerous attendees took aim at the event organizers on social media, with many describing the music festival as ‘a joke’.
“You had weeks notice knowing it was going to be so hot and yet you waited until the CFA told you to cancel,” one wrote on Instagram.
Another wrote: ‘you had the chance to call it a week ago to avoid risking lives’.
‘I understand the events industry is still recovering from the COVID turmoil, but duty of care is more important than capitalism.
“It is beyond shocking that this call has been made today on the last full program day of the festival.”
Another user said they had ‘no idea what was going on’ as they had no reception to see the event’s social media posts and were not notified of screens announcing the cancellation.
Opposition MP Emma Keely also criticized the event for not canceling earlier when the CFA warned them of the potentially dangerous weather.
‘(CFA) called on the organizers to cancel the event and yet we have this situation where at least three people have been airlifted, several people have been taken out and a really dangerous environment for not only the people going to the festival but also the locals ,” Keely said.
‘We all knew this was going to be a hot weekend, it’s an accident waiting to happen and unfortunately we’ve had some disastrous outcomes this weekend.
“It’s just so sad to hear about any young person who has lost their life, but especially when we have a music event where things haven’t gone quite as well as they could have.”
His best mate Andre Srour (right) remembered Mr Maugeri (left) as the ‘most loyal and caring human being’ in a heartbreaking post on social media
The festival, which started on Friday, was supposed to run until Tuesday.
The heat wave was upgraded from severe to extreme on Sunday and continues to affect the region, with authorities warning that conditions could worsen the health effects of drugs such as MDMA (ecstasy).
The horse on revelers was spotted earlier this year at Melbourne’s Hardmission festival, where eight revelers were hospitalized after overdosing.
Pitch Music & Arts organizers urged attendees driving to the festival to ‘make sure you have a sober and rested driver’.
A number of would-be revelers told Daily Mail Australia they spent Sunday night desperately searching for available rooms at nearby rural motels.
The convoy of Sydney applicants tried to call a number of motels who told them they had been booked out shortly after the event was cancelled.
While some were eventually able to find a free position hours away in Albury around 5:30am, one of the drivers instead decided to drive all the way to Sydney, undeterred by the situation.
“For those who came by other means of transport, additional buses will be organized to Ararat today and they will start again from 06:00 tomorrow,” they said.
‘Our staff are ready to help you with any queries or to organize your departure.’
Organizers of the PItch music festival (pictured) canceled the remaining days of the event just hours after Maugeri’s death, citing a dangerous heatwave and bushfire warnings
On Friday night, thousands of ticket holders, many without phone reception, were left confused after being told to leave due to ‘extreme fire danger’.
However, the message was followed up by an announcement on Saturday afternoon that the event would continue, despite warnings from the National Fire Service.
“At the time of writing, there are no active fires in the region and we want to assure you that those on the scene have access to ample shade, cooling mist fans, food and water,” the update said.
Ticket prices for the event ranged from $449 for a two-day pass up to $499 for a four-day pass. Camping and car passes came with an additional fee.
Organizers have not confirmed whether attendees will be refunded, with Sunday’s statement reading: ‘We appreciate your patience while we work through this.
‘Ticket holders will receive an update as more information becomes available.
‘Our top priority right now is to get everyone on the scene home safely.’
Revelers were warned a heatwave affecting the region (pictured) could exacerbate the negative effects of drugs such as MDMA (ecstasy)
The online cancellation announcement was met with fierce backlash from confused attendees.
“There is no reception to connect with our family and friends,” wrote one.
‘Why don’t people who participate know this? Be a good idea if you told people who witnessed what happened,’ said another.
“Just spoke to our son who is there and no one mentioned at the event that it’s cancelled,” wrote another.
Very high temperatures have also hit Melbourne, where Monday’s Moomba Parade has been cancelled.
“Safety, health and wellbeing must be the top priority,” Melbourne Mayor Sally Capp said on Sunday.