A man has been killed after being struck by lightning while on his honeymoon in Florida.
Jake Rosencranz, 29, was ankle-deep in the water at New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County when a bolt struck the sea at around 12.30pm on June 20.
“There was not a storm immediately over us,” local beach safety director Tammy Malphurs told the Denver Post. “This lightning bolt came from a storm several miles away.”
Despite the effort of emergency service personnel in attendance who performed CPR, the newlywed died the next day at a nearby hospital.
Local firefighters say two golfers were indirectly hit nearby minutes beforehand, but did not need to be hospitalised.
Before his death was confirmed, Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood posted on Facebook: "Saying a prayer for this young man and his wife.
“They were visiting our beaches to celebrate their marriage. In one terrifying second everything changed. My heart goes out to them tonight.”
A family spokesman said: “Jake lived with a lightness and joy that touched everyone he met.
"He was doing what he loved — traveling, exploring, and being with the woman he adored. This loss is immeasurable.”
A fundraiser has been set up for Mr Rosencranz’s wife Leah who is now “navigating life without her husband and best friend”.
The GoFundMe, which has so far raised more than $33,000 (£24,000), states: "We are looking to financially support Leah as she deals with medical bills and other implications in the wake of the loss of Jake.”
Mr Rosencranz, from Colorado, is one of four people in the United States to be killed in 2025 after a lightning strike, according to the National Lightning Safety Council.
More people die from lightning strikes in the state of Florida every year than anywhere else in the US, according to the National Weather Service.
