Man dies after being stung more than 1,000 times in Arizona park

What was supposed to be a short and easy hike ended in tragedy Thursday morning when a young man died after being stung more than 1,000 times by bees in an Arizona park.

Alex Bestler, 23, was walking along Merkle Memorial Trail in Usery Mountain park near Mesa just before 9 a.m. when he and a friend were suddenly attacked by thousands of bees.

“Without provocation or warning, a large swarm of bees descended on both of them as they continued on the trail,” the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.

Bestler’s friend, identified in the release only as Sonya, was ahead of him on the trail. She was able to scramble to a restroom to escape the swarm.

Alex was not.

When Sonya alerted another hiker to the attack, the man went back to check on Alex only to find him at the center of a thick, dark cloud of insects.

“Alex was located lying on the ground still covered by bees and he was not able to approach due to the aggressiveness of the bees,” the release says.

When park employees arrived, they, too, were “forced back by the bees.”

As the swarm stung Alex over and over again, rescuers tried to reach him several times but couldn’t get close before they were driven away by the insects.

Finally, Allen Romer arrived to the park. The sergeant from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office jumped on a park utility task vehicle, or UTV, and raced to Alex’s location.

“With the assistance of two Rural Metro Fire Fighters, Sgt. Romer was able to load Alex onto the UTV and remove him from the scene, still covered with bees, and a swarm pursuing,” according to the release. “Upon arrival at the emergency vehicles’ location, the bees had dissipated to the point of safety, that fire personnel began life saving measures.”

Alex was whisked to Desert Vista Hospital, but he died after arrival.

“An examination of the body conducted by medical staff and Sheriff’s detectives estimated over a thousand bee stings,” according to the sheriff’s press release. An autopsy is pending.

A statement posted to the park’s website at 9:44 a.m. Thursday said the area was closed due to “aggressive bee activity.”

The park has called in the experts to locate the bees. The park will be closed to visitors until it is safe for visitors, the statement added.

Romer himself received multiple bee stings as well as cacti punctures, but returned to duty after treatment.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio praised his deputy for his heroics.

“I commend Sgt. Romer for risking his life trying to save the victim,” he said. “These attacks are becoming more frequent and I urge the public to be aware of their surroundings when out in these areas.”

As if to prove his point, another bee attack occurred the same day in nearby Phoenix, where a 51-year-old man was hospitalized after numerous stings, according to the Arizona Republic. Phoenix Fire officials told the newspaper that the man was experiencing bouts of unconsciousness and he was believed to be extremely allergic to the stings.

It is unclear if Bestler also was allergic.

Bee attacks in the American Southwest have been on the rise in recent years, according to experts. Many of the worst attacks are attributed to Africanized bees, the so-called killer bees that have been slowly migrating north from Brazil for decades. Africanized bees look like normal bees and are no more poisonous, but they are much more aggressive, more likely to attack in swarms and relentlessly pursue their target, according to apiarists.

Authorities have not announced what type of bee was involved in the fatal attack Thursday. But Africanized bees have blamed for a string of deadly or near deadly attacks in Arizona and other states.

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 9:02 PM with the headline "Man dies after being stung more than 1,000 times in Arizona park."