Rosencranz was on a delayed honeymoon with his wife when a rare “blue sky” lightning strike, originating from a storm miles away, hit him. Image: An illustration of blue sky lightning.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — A 29-year-old Colorado man, Jake Rosencranz, died Saturday, June 21, 2025, after being struck by lightning while standing in ankle-deep water at New Smyrna Beach on Friday, June 20, 2025.
The incident, which occurred around 12:30 p.m., marked Florida’s first lightning-related fatality of 2025 in Central Florida, the nation’s lightning capital.
Rosencranz was on a delayed honeymoon with his wife when a rare “blue sky” lightning strike, originating from a storm miles away, hit him, according to the Lightning Safety Council.
Despite immediate CPR from first responders and a nearby nurse, Rosencranz succumbed to his injuries in the ICU at Halifax Health Hospital in Daytona Beach. Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood expressed condolences, calling the loss of the young man “heartbreaking,” WKMG 6 reports.
Central Florida, known as “Lightning Alley,” sees the highest lightning strike density in the U.S., with up to 76 strikes per square mile in 2024. The region, spanning from Tampa Bay to Daytona Beach, is prone to frequent thunderstorms from May to October due to its warm, moist climate and converging sea breezes.
On the same day as Rosencranz’s tragedy, two golfers at Venetian Bay golf course in New Smyrna Beach were indirectly struck and injured, and a home in Ormond Beach was hit, according to WESH 2.
Florida leads the nation in lightning-related deaths, with nearly 500 fatalities since 1960 and five of the 12 U.S. lightning deaths in 2024.
The National Weather Service urges residents and visitors to seek shelter in a substantial building or enclosed metal-topped vehicle at the sound of thunder, as lightning can strike up to 10 miles from a storm.
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