TikTok’s “Dancing Engineer” dies aged 34 after contracting dengue fever

TikTok’s “Dancing Engineer” died this August after contracting a viral infection and succumbing to respiratory arrest.

Jainer Moises Pinedo Vargas, 34, also known as TikTok’s “Dancing Engineer,” died on August 18 after suffering respiratory arrest caused by contracting dengue fever.

On August 14, Vargas’ condition worsened. Though he was put on a mechanical ventilator and given antibiotics, his condition quickly deteriorated.

His fatal infection was caused by the spread of infected mosquitos. The rising star was subjected to dengue fever after his travels to Condorcanqui Province, Peru.

On August 1, the Dancing Engineer posted his last TikTok from inside his hospital room. “We are only with 20% energy. Later, we will move those waists and hips,” he captioned his dancing video.

Vargas, who worked as a forest engineer, rose to fame in 2021 after posting a choreography video to ‘No se’ by Explosion de Iquitos. As he started to gain hundreds of thousands of followers, he shared videos of himself dancing while wearing a hard hat.

While the TikToker ultimately died from dengue fever, he was also diagnosed with various other illnesses. Not only did he contract pneumonia, which caused his lungs to be surrounded by fluid, but doctors additionally diagnosed him with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a rare form of cancer.

Since his death, Vargas’ mother, Betty Vargas Garcia, pleaded with the media to help bring her son’s body back to Iquitos, Peru. “We need bureaucratic support to transfer my son to the city of Iquitos. My son needs to be in his homeland,” she said.

Saddened, fans of the Dancing Engineer took to TikTok to share their heartfelt messages. 

“RIP engineer dancer until the last [day] you danced and made us happy,” commented one.

“Fly high dancing engineer. Impossible to believe that I see this video and today you are no longer with us,” wrote another.

TikTok’s Dancing Engineer isn’t the only star from the platform to have died this summer. In July, Bella Brave died from lung infection complications at just 10 years old.