Kriti Mehrotra
Directed by Yemi Bamiro (‘TV’s Black Renaissance: Reggie Yates in Hollywood’) and Hannah Poulter (’24 Hours in Police Custody’), Netflix’s ‘Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy’ is unlike any other. That’s because it delves deep into the 3rd annual Astroworld Festival by Rapper Travis Scott, which ended in complete tragedy. This November 2021 2-day event in Houston, Texas, promised to be a blast, but it was canceled after just the first day because of the chaos that resulted in a total of 10 teens losing their lives. Hundreds more were physically injured as well as traumatized, and amongst them was Ayden Cruz.
Ayden Cruz Was No Stranger to Travis Scott or Astroworld
Since Ayden Cruz is a proud native of Houston, Texas, he really fell in love with fellow native Travis Scott’s music and message when he started making a name for himself. Therefore, by the time 2021 had rolled around, the 18-year-old high school student had attended 5 of his concerts, with 2 of them being Astroworld 2018 and 2019, making him extremely familiar with the vibe. So, when he and 7 of his friends, including his girlfriend Mikaela and her friend Briana Rodriguez, decided to attend the 2021 festival, he already knew what the best yet safest way to do so was.
From experience, Ayden knew that the front/mosh pit section of Travis’ concerts often got rather rowdy, so when the time for the artist to get on his stage was nearing on November 5, 2021, he and his friends decided to remain on the back side of the general admission section. By this point, they had had the time of their lives exploring the entire attraction, getting on rides, and seeing other artists, but as soon as they got ready to watch Travis live, everything changed because things just got so crowded. It was to such an extent that they didn’t have space to breathe, let alone move.
While Ayden Physically Survived, He Was Left Traumatized
According to Ayden’s own accounts, people started pushing back and forth, and it was like a wave because neither he nor his friend had any control of their own bodies or balance – they were going with the wave. Unfortunately, this wave soon became a stampede of sorts, resulting in people starting to fall too, and soon he, his girlfriend, Briana, and all their companions fell victim to it. At this point, even though he could hear Mikaela and Briana screaming for help, he couldn’t do anything because others had fallen on top of him, leaving him with no choice but to slip into survival mode.
Ayden still remembers suffocating under all those people, so he started accepting that maybe this is where he will take his last breaths and pass away, since he didn’t see any way out. Thankfully, fellow concertgoers saw him and helped out, following which he managed to make it out of the area for good. Mikaela was the first person he saw, and she had fortunately made it out too. However, their relief was short-lived as they couldn’t find 16-year-old Briana, who had connected with Ayden over their shared love for Travis and who was uber excited to see him live for the first time.
That’s when Ayden knew he had to do something to help out, and because he simply couldn’t go back into the crowd, he decided to jump onto a camera platform to get them to stop the show. He hoped he’d catch the attention of the cameraman or some concert executive, but to no avail, leaving him desperately, repeatedly shouting “Stop the Show!” A fellow concertgoer also came out to help in his efforts, but the show only concluded over an hour after Travis first got on stage, and by this point, it was already too late. In the end, 10 people died from this chaos, with the Harris County medical examiner later confirming that every single one of their causes of death was compressive asphyxiation. Amongst these 10 was 16-year-old Briana, who was declared dead that very night in a local hospital.
Despite His Ongoing Battle With Depression, Ayden Continues to Move Forward
In the days following the tragic incident, Ayden went viral and was hailed a hero for his courageous efforts in such a stressful situation, but he couldn’t accept this title because lives were lost. He later expressed in interviews with local news outlets that he felt as if his pleas to stop the show were falling on deaf ears, and while he understood that no one listened to him because they were doing their jobs, it still shattered him. Unfortunately, this was a feeling he was used to since he battled depression before, too, but this incident made him fall back into it to such an extent that his entire life and career trajectory changed. His grief and depression sadly took hold of nearly every aspect of his life.
Ayden was a varsity basketball player at Heights High School with dreams of going to college on a basketball scholarship before making a name for himself through the sport. However, after that fateful evening, the athlete couldn’t even bring himself to continue playing, so all his opportunities slipped away as his motivations did too, and he couldn’t find solace in anything. The teen who once found happiness in music, concerts, live shows, and basketball suddenly couldn’t even bear to be a part of them, but it appears as if he has gradually been working on himself.
Ayden isn’t magically cured, but he seems to be doing his best to move forward in life by focusing on the positives, all the while keeping the memories of the ones lost alive in his heart. For this, he is talking about the past more openly, dedicating himself to his physical fitness, and also focusing on his other passions, including motorbike riding. With everything he has been through, we wish him nothing but the best for his future.
Read More: Sophia Santana: What Happened to the Astroworld Survivor?
