Electric Zoo Festival canceled after two deaths

 The third day of the Electric Zoo Festival today (September 1) has been canceled due to “serious health risks,” a statement from the New York City government announced and a posting from the festival confirmed.

The release on NYC.gov states that two fans had died and at least four became “critically ill” during the first two days of the festival (August 30-31) held on NYC's Randall's Island, and while “definitive causes of death have not yet been determined, both appear to have involved the drug MDMA (ecstasy, or molly).”

The New York Times identified the victims as Jeffrey Russ, 24, of Rochester, N.Y., and Olivia Rotondo, 20, of Providence, R.I. Russ was reportedly attending the festival with 23 members of his Syracuse University fraternity.

“The founders of Electric Zoo send our deepest condolences to the families of the two people who passed away this weekend,” read a statement on promoter Made Event’s website, posted around 10:15 this morning. “Because there is nothing more important to us than our patrons, we have decided in consultation with the New York City Parks Department that there will be no show today.”

According to attorney Ed McPherson of McPherson Rane LLP, who represented rock band Great White in litigation over the fatal Station nightclub fire in 2003, Made the right move.

“Electric Zoo organizers have done absolutely the right thing after the fatalities occurred – and that is to close the festival,” he said. “Of course, that is a huge disappointment for everyone, and potentially a great expense for the promoters. However, if one life is saved because someone had to go home, where (hopefully) that culture does not exist, and they can make certain that nobody uses whatever drugs they have, it is obviously well worth the disappointment and expense.”

This morning A-Trak, who performed at Electric Zoo yesterday, tweeted that he was "shocked" about the deaths.