A 29-year-old newlywed on his honeymoon was killed by a freak weather strike while standing in ankle-deep water.
The freak tragedy unfolded as the Colorado man stood near the shore in what officials described as a “rare” and deadly lightning strike.
InstagramA 29-year-old Colorado newlywed, Jake Rosencranz, was killed by a lightning strike[/caption] Rosencranz was hit near New Smyrna Beach, even though the storm was still several miles awayCBS Miami AFPHe died the next morning in ICU after lifeguards performed CPR and rushed him to the hospital[/caption]The incident occurred on Florida’s east coast while the man was visiting New Smyrna Beach with his wife.
Jake Rosencranz had been on a delayed honeymoon when lightning hit him around 12:30 pm on Friday, officials confirmed.
He was in ankle-deep water near the Avenue beach access when the bolt struck.
Lifeguards raced to the scene and began CPR on Rosencranz immediately.
“Lifeguards immediately initiated CPR and performed life-saving measures,” said Beach Safety Director Tammy Malphurs.
Rosencranz was rushed to Halifax Health Hospital in Daytona Beach in critical condition.
He died the next morning in the ICU.
Malphurs said the lightning came from a storm that was about four miles away, not directly overhead.
She told Headline Surfer it was a “rare tragedy, but all too real.”
“I’ve seen about six or seven people die on the beach from lightning strikes,” Malphurs said in a separate interview.
The National Weather Service refers to such long-distance strikes as “blue sky lightning,” which can hit as far as 20 miles away from a storm’s center.
“So sorry for the tragic loss of a young man here on a delayed honeymoon with his wife. At 29 years old, he should have had many more anniversaries with her for years to come,” County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said in a Facebook post.
“Sending sincere condolences to this young woman on behalf of all of us in Volusia County, who were hoping against hope that the diligent efforts of our lifeguards, EMS team and ER staff would bring him back to her.”
The terrifying bolt wasn’t the only lightning strike reported that day.
City officials said two golfers in New Smyrna Beach were also indirectly struck on Friday afternoon.
They were shocked when lightning hit an object nearby, but neither was seriously injured.
What causes lightning?
Here's everything you need to know...
Lightning is a big flash or bolt of electricity caused by a thunderstorm They’re thought to kill between 75 to 100 unlucky souls every year Strikes are actually formed by frozen raindrops in the sky Within a thunderclap, bits of ice bump into one another, forming an electrical charge After a while, the whole cloud fills up with electrical charges These split into negatively charged electrons at the bottom of the cloud and positively charged protons at the top Eventually, the cloud discharges by sending a bolt of current to the groundSaturday’s incident marked Florida’s first lightning death of the year, and the fourth in the US in 2025.
All four victims this year were men, the weather service said.
Two were fishing from boats in North Carolina and Mississippi, and one died on a Texas golf course.
Florida has historically had the highest number of fatal lightning strikes in the country.
In 2024, five out of the nation’s 12 lightning-related deaths occurred in the Sunshine State.
While Texas records the most lightning strikes overall, Florida has the highest density of lightning in the country.
That means Florida has more strikes per square kilometer than any other state, according to a 2024 report by Vaisala.
Other Gulf Coast states like Louisiana and Mississippi also see high lightning activity.
Experts say geography, frequent thunderstorms, and warm climate all contribute to the state’s lightning risk.
City Spokesperson Ava Hanner told The Independent that people should take precautions “even if the sky looks clear.”
“If you can hear thunder, you’re close enough to be struck by lightning,” Hanner advised.
GettyFlorida has historically had the highest number of fatal lightning strikes in the country (stock image)[/caption] Read More Details
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