A 20-year-old man from Michigan died Tuesday evening in Celebration, Florida, after being struck by lightning, according to the Osceola County Sheriff's Office. Matthew Eric Jenkins, of Shelby Township, Michigan, had recently moved to Central Florida to participate in the Disney College Program.
Deputies responded to a walking path behind a hotel in the 700 block of Bloom Street around 6:25 p.m. after reports of a lightning strike in the vicinity. Jenkins was found unresponsive and was transported to AdventHealth Celebration, where he was pronounced dead.
A witness, Spyro Betz, told FOX35 Orlando that he heard a powerful crack of lightning overhead. "I heard the big crack of lightning that was like right overhead," Betz said. He initially believed the strike had hit a building. Another individual, Felipe Costa, told WESH-TV that he heard the strike and ran toward the path, where he found Jenkins on the ground. Costa and another woman attempted CPR until first responders arrived.
Investigators are awaiting the medical examiner's official determination of the cause of death. Jenkins' father expressed gratitude to those who attempted to help his son.
Jenkins had reportedly moved to Florida just days before the incident to begin his internship program at Walt Disney World.