Overview

• On June 20, 29-year-old honeymooner Jake A. Rosencranz from Colorado was struck by a lightning bolt in ankle-deep water at New Smyrna Beach around 12:30 p.m. despite clear skies overhead.
• Lifeguards and a nearby nurse immediately performed CPR and life-saving measures before he was rushed to Halifax Health Hospital in Daytona Beach, where he died the next morning.
• Volusia County Beach Safety has concluded its investigation and confirmed the strike was a rare 'bolt from the blue' originating from a storm several miles away.
• Two golfers at Venetian Bay Golf Course were indirectly struck by lightning on the same day but only required on-site evaluation and no hospitalization.
• Officials have offered condolences to the victim’s family and reiterated National Weather Service advice to seek shelter as soon as thunder is heard.