Fan falls to death while trying to spit

An Australian motor racing fan leaned over an apartment balcony to see how far he could spit – then overbalanced and fell to his death, the Townsville Bulletin reported Thursday.

Zackary John Seiler's 26-foot plunge from the third floor of an apartment block in Townsville, Queensland, likely happened because of his height, police said.

"A woman who was with him on the balcony reported that he made a comment about how far he could spit over the side, then he leant over and lost his balance," Townsville acting Inspector Leonie Henwood said.

"He was a tall man, well over 6 foot in height, so his center of gravity was quite high, which contributed to the fall."

The 22-year-old was visiting longtime friends for the Townsville 400 V8 car race at the time.

"It's just so unfortunate for this young man, because it wasn't like he was mucking around with his mates or misbehaving and he definitely was not planking," Henwood said, referring to the recent deadly craze for posing in dangerous places.