US tourist electrocuted in Mexican hot tub was days away from graduating college, remembered for his ‘heart of gold’
The American tourist who died after he was electrocuted while relaxing in a hot tub with his wife in Mexico Tuesday was remembered for his “heart of gold” and was set to graduate from college on Friday.
Jorge Guillen, of El Paso, Texas, was identified by local outlets Thursday as the victim of the freak accident at a private beachside resort in Puerto Penasco, Sonoran Sea Resort.
Local authorities said his wife Lizette Zambrano, 35, suffered life-threatening injuries and was rushed to a hospital in the US.
Video posted on social media showed people around the hot tub after racing to help the couple, who are of dual Mexican-American nationality, the Associated Press reported.
“Jorge had a heart of gold and was always there for family and friends,” family friends wrote in a fundraising page. “The love they shared was one for ages.”
The GoFundMe has raised nearly $40,000 for the grieving family.
Guillen was an evening student at Western Technical College where he was studying refrigeration/HVAC and set to attend graduation Friday, the school said, according to KTSM.
“Those who knew George knew that he was enthusiastic. He was passionate. He loved HVAC,” the school’s president Dr. Maxine Valencia told KFOX14.
“He was a real big family man. Definitely a very respectable professional young man.”
“He’s part of our family so it hurts,” she added.
A moment of silence is planned for Friday’s ceremony and classmates are expected to speak about the person he was to fellow graduates.
Guillen previously worked at the Otero County Processing Center as a detention guard between 2011 and 2018, KTSM reported.
“We are saddened to hear of the loss of Mr. Guillen, who was a great employee and friend,” the processing center said.
“We offer our condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time.”
Zambrano is currently in Arizona where she is receiving treatment after suffering burns consistent with electrocution, the El Paso Times reported, citing a friend.
She is a former teacher who worked for an El Paso school system, the newspaper reported.
Meanwhile, the sales director for Sonoran Resort Inc., Jim Ringquist, said Thursday the company was “terribly devastated by the tragedy that occurred at the Sonoran Resort recently, according to CBS News.
He noted he works for developers of the Sonoran Resorts, which don’t manage the condos after they’re built.
The property was turned over to the owners and homeowners in 2004, he noted.
The General Prosecutor’s Office for the State of Sonora said officials are probing what led to the deadly scene.
