Ex-UC Irvine student throws his mother off campus building before jumping himself: police

A man threw his elderly mother off a building before jumping to his death in Irvine, California, on Tuesday.

The incident occurred at 214 Pereira Drive at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), sometime before 3:52 p.m. The suspect, identified as Andrew Nguyen Doan, was a former student who last attended the school in 2019.

Officers responding to multiple 911 calls found Doan, 36, and his mother, Thao Thai Nguyen, 77, dead on the ground outside Social Science Plaza B. Investigation revealed that Doan picked up Nguyen, threw her off a landing and then jumped to his death from the same site.

Doan attended UCI as a biological sciences major from September 2017 to June 2019. UCI spokesman Tom Vasich confirmed that he did not graduate, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Irvine police have yet to establish a motive for the apparent murder-suicide. In a news release, they said they had contacted Doan “multiple times in the past” regarding “mental health concerns,” most recently in 2019.

In the same year, Doan was accused of sexual battery of his mental hospital roommate, which he pleaded guilty to the following year, as per the L.A. Times.

Nguyen posted $100,000 bail for Doan on Sept. 26, 2019. Doan was later sentenced to 156 days in jail and three years of probation, which ended on July 22.

In a statement, UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman assured that the university “will be fully cooperating” with the investigation.

“At such a time, our primary thoughts are with the victims and their families. But there are also members of the UCI community who have been contacted to assist with the investigation and to share their knowledge of what may have happened,” Gillman said. “To all members of our UCI community: If you need support, please know that UCI has resources for students, faculty and staff.”

The motive in the incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective John Sanders at 949-724-7233 or email him at [email protected].

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