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17h ago

Colorado Honeymooner Dies After 'Blue Sky' Lightning Strike on Florida Beach

Officials warn that lightning from distant storms poses a risk following a second incident that injured four people at Holmes Beach.

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A lightning bolt strikes in Denver on Thursday, June 22, 2023. (Photo by Grace Smith/The Denver Post)
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Overview

  • Jake A. Rosencranz, 29, was celebrating a delayed honeymoon when he was struck by 'blue sky' lightning while standing in ankle-deep water on New Smyrna Beach on June 20 and died the following day.
  • Authorities said the bolt came from a storm several miles away under clear skies, marking Florida’s first lightning-related death of 2025.
  • Lifeguards and a nearby nurse immediately performed CPR and other life-saving measures before Rosencranz was rushed unresponsive to Halifax Health Hospital in Daytona Beach.
  • The New Smyrna Beach Fire Department reported that two golfers at Venetian Bay Golf Course were indirectly struck by lightning on June 20 but did not require hospital treatment.
  • On June 24 a separate strike at Holmes Beach hit four beachgoers under a canopy, sending one man in his 30s to the hospital and prompting renewed beach safety warnings.