A tragic incident took place in Titusville, Florida, where a skydiver was found dead as they touched down on the front lawn of a residence. According to authorities, the accident occurred during a solo parachuting endeavor around 12:25 p.m. local time on Saturday at Merry Lane, said the Titusville Fire Department in a statement.
They identified the skydiver as 69-year-old Frederick C. Morello, a resident of Ormond Beach, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Upon the arrival of authorities at the scene, they made a request for a helicopter at the site. However, this request was denied, as stated by local police via their official X account.
Skydiver who died after hard landing on Florida front lawn identified as 69-year-old lawyer https://t.co/gNI3aiIekr pic.twitter.com/T4h0G0HwNM
— New York Post (@nypost) October 9, 2023
**Skydiver down** Report of skydiver down on Merry Ln. this located just adjacent to Arthur-Dunn Airpark.
— Titusville Fire Dept (@TitusvilleFire) October 7, 2023
A surveillance video captured the crash
A neighbor’s surveillance video, as reported by CBS affiliate WKMG-TV, captured the tragic crash. James Sconiers, a local resident, provided his account of the incident, stating that the skydiver unexpectedly landed in his front yard.
He recounted the moments following the crash, saying, “I was asking the person that was lying on the ground, ‘Hey man, can you hear me, can you hear me?’ But he did not respond,” Sconiers told the station.
Florida Skydiver Tragically Falls to His Death, Found Deceased on Residential Lawn: Police https://t.co/hmvDNupi3A
— World I Used To Know 🇺🇸 🙏 🇺🇸 (@pccote66) October 8, 2023
‘Why did he fall so hard?’
Morello was reportedly wearing “parachute attire and gear” at the time of the incident. Sconiers, a Vietnam veteran with experience in the airline industry, expressed his confusion over the incident, saying, “Look at the video and look at what happened. Why did he fall so hard if all the safety mechanisms were in place? Something tells me there’s a problem there.”
A 69-year-old skydiver died after landing hard on a front lawn in Titusville Florida 😱. pic.twitter.com/fNgqlr7n9U
— Total Randomness (@totalrondom) October 9, 2023
Nicole Lacount, who has an aunt living in the area, described the incident site as “the worst I’ve ever seen,” to WKMG-TV. Lacount recounted the sight of the skydiver lying on the ground after emergency services arrived at the scene, as per CBS News.
As reported by CBS News, the skydiver made the crash landing in close proximity to the Skydive Space Center, located in Titusville. At this time, it is unclear if the incident was connected to the Skydive Space Center. Officials are currently investigating the skydiver’s accident closely.