Man dies after competing in California taco-eating contest | Inquirer News

 Man dies after competing in California taco-eating contest

/ 06:39 AM August 15, 2019

FRESNO, Calif. – A man died shortly after competing in a taco-eating contest at a minor league baseball game in California, authorities said Wednesday.

 Man dies after competing in California taco-eating contest

This Sept. 18, 2015 photo shows fans arrive at Chukchansi Park in Fresno, Calif., for a minor-league baseball game between the Fresno Grizzlies and the Round Rock Express. Fresno authorities say a man died shortly after competing in a taco-eating contest at a Grizzlies game. Fresno Sheriff spokesman Tony Botti says 41-year-old Dana Hutchings, of Fresno, died Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019 shortly after arriving at a hospital. Botti says an autopsy on Hutchings will be done Thursday to determine a cause of death. (Eric Paul Zamora/The Fresno Bee via AP)

Dana Hutchings, 41, of Fresno, died Tuesday night shortly after arriving at a hospital, Fresno Sheriff spokesman Tony Botti said.

An autopsy on Hutchings will be done Thursday to determine a cause of death, Botti said. It was not immediately known how many tacos the man had eaten or whether he had won the contest.

Article continues after this advertisement

Tuesday night’s competition allowed amateurs to qualify for Saturday’s World Taco Eating Championship to be held at Fresno’s annual Taco Truck Throwdown, KFSN-TV reported.

FEATURED STORIES

Fresno Grizzlies spokesman Paul Braverman said in a statement the  eating contest was not connected to Saturday’s competition and added “out of respect for the grieving family, we are declining on-camera requests at this time.”

Neither Braverman nor Fresno Grizzlies president Derek Franks, immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press.

Article continues after this advertisement

The team did not reference the incident on any of its social media platforms Wednesday, but an ad for Saturday’s taco-eating competition remained on its Facebook page.

Article continues after this advertisement

During the 2018 Taco Eating Championship in Fresno, professional eater Geoffrey Esper downed 73 tacos in eight minutes, the television station reported.

Competitive-eating contests have become major attractions at festivals and other events. Among the most popular is the annual Nathan’s Famous July Fourth hot dog eating contest on New York’s Coney Island, where Joey Chestnut this year’s champion ate 71. Esper finished third. /gsg

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

TAGS: California, man dead

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.