Pitch music festival death: Aspiring DJ, 23, is identified as the man who died of a suspected drug overdose – as revellers erupt after organisers pulled the pin on the event

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 sparked by attendees.

Antony Maugeri, 23, was one of three people taken to hospital after suffering a suspected overdose at the Pitch music festival, held near Ararat in Victoria’s south-west last weekend.

He was airlifted to Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital about 1am on Sunday, where he died shortly afterwards. The two other men, aged between 20 and 30, both survived.

Event organizers canceled the festival later that day due to a dangerous heat wave and extreme fire conditions, telling the thousands of attendees to leave on Monday morning.

The festival went ahead on Saturday evening with an adjusted schedule, despite warnings from the Country Fire Authority (CFA) on the day and ahead of the event.

Organizers have since come under fire from revelers and politicians alike for not canceling the event earlier, knowing the challenging conditions would hit the area.

Mr Maugeri’s best friend remembered the aspiring DJ as “the most loyal and caring human being” in a heartbreaking social media post.

“Losing your best friend is something I never thought I would have to prepare for,” he wrote on Facebook.

“It’s going to be hard to open my phone and not get a text from you every day, but I know you’ll be watching over me, my family, and the rest of our friend group 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 Mr Maugeri’s death on Sunday evening, saying on Instagram that they were “deeply saddened” by the news.

“We are devastated that this has occurred at an event where the community has been a driving force for the past seven years,” the message read.

‘We understand that the timing of this news will be worrying for festival goers who are currently leaving the event safely.’

The Victorian Greens said Maugeri’s death was yet another reason to introduce pill testing at events.

“How many more (suspected) overdoses need to happen in Victoria before the new Prime Minister steps up a gear and finally organizes pill testing in Victoria?” Aiv Puglielli, spokesperson for the Greens against drug harm, said this on Monday.

“As this Labor government continues to stagnate, young Victorian lives are being put at risk.

‘Even with pure MDMA we have seen how extreme heat can deliver a deadly blow.

“So because there were untested drugs in circulation, this was really a disaster waiting to happen.”

The festival was canceled on Sunday afternoon via a statement on their social media accounts, which some were unable to get behind due to poor reception.

“Through consultation with authorities, we have been instructed to cancel the remainder of Pitch Music & Arts 2024 in light of an updated extreme fire danger warning issued (on Sunday) afternoon,” the statement read.

‘No one is in immediate danger. We encourage everyone on site not to rush, pack up slowly and leave early tonight or tomorrow.

‘Remember to stay hydrated, and be patient and calm with staff and each other.’

Numerous attendees took to social media to target the event’s organizers, with many describing the music festival as “a joke.”

“You knew weeks in advance it was going to be this hot and despite that you waited for the CFA to tell you to cancel,” one person wrote on Instagram.

A second wrote: ‘You had a chance to call it in a week ago to avoid risking lives.’

‘I understand that the events industry is still recovering from the COVID turmoil, but the duty of care is more important than capitalism.

“It is beyond shocking that this call was made today, on the last fully programmed 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 being canceled sooner when the CFA warned them of the potentially dangerous weather.

‘(The CFA) has urged the organizers to cancel the event and yet we have this situation where at least three people have been airlifted, several people have been eliminated and a really dangerous environment has been created, not just for the people coming to the festival, but also for the people who go to the festival. locals too,” Ms 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 catastrophic consequences this weekend.

“It’s so sad to hear that a young person has lost their life, but especially when we have a music event where things didn’t go as well as they could have.”

The festival, which started on Friday, was scheduled to continue until Tuesday.

The heat wave was upgraded from severe to extreme on Sunday and continues to affect the region. Authorities warn that the conditions could worsen the health effects of drugs such as MDMA (ecstasy).

The heat’s toll on partygoers became clear earlier this year at Melbourne’s Hardmission festival, where eight partygoers were hospitalized after overdosing.

Pitch Music & Arts organizers encouraged attendees driving to the festival to “make sure you have a sober and rested driver.”

A number of would-be partygoers told Daily Mail Australia they were desperate to find vacant rooms in nearby rural motels on Sunday night.

The convoy of Sydney-siders tried to call a number of motels shortly after the event was canceled to tell them they were fully booked.

While some were eventually able to find a vacancy in Albury at around 5.30am, one of the drivers decided to drive all the way to Sydney instead, furious at the situation.

“For those who came by other means of transport, additional buses to Ararat will be organized today, starting again tomorrow from 6am,” they said.

‘Our staff are ready to assist you with any questions you may have or with organizing your departure.’

On Friday evening, thousands of ticket holders, many of whom had no telephone service, were left confused after being told to leave due to ‘extreme fire risk’.

However, the message was followed on Saturday afternoon by an announcement that the event would go ahead despite warnings from the Country Fire Authority.

“As of this writing, there are no active fires in the region and we want to assure you that those on site have access to adequate shade, cooling misting fans, food and water,” the update said.

Ticket prices for the event ranged from $449 for a two-day pass to $499 for a four-day pass. An additional fee was paid for camping and car passes.

Organizers have not confirmed whether attendees will receive a refund, saying on Sunday: ‘We appreciate your patience as we work on this.

‘Ticket holders will receive an update as soon as more information becomes available.

“Our top priority right now is to get everyone home safely.”

The online cancellation announcement was met with harsh reactions from confused attendees.

“There is no reception to connect with our family and friends,” one person wrote.

‘How come those present don’t know this? It would be a good idea if you told those present what happened,” said another.

“I just spoke to our son who is also there, but there was no mention at the event that it was canceled,” another wrote.

Very high temperatures have also hit Melbourne, with Monday’s Moomba Parade canceled.

“Safety, health and wellbeing must be the top priority,” Melbourne Mayor Sally Capp said on Sunday.