69-year-old skydiver dies after he crash-lands in Florida front yard, police say
A skydiver was killed when he made a hard landing in the lawn of a Florida neighborhood, police said.
Frederick C. Morello, 69, from Ormond Beach, was involved in a “solo parachuting incident” on Oct. 7, according to a news release from the Titusville Police Department.
Police officers and the fire department responded to the home when Morello was found wearing “parachute attire and gear” and lying in the lawn, according to the release.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
One neighbor shared surveillance footage that captured the dangerous moments before Morello’s death in the reflection of a vehicle’s back window, WKMG reported.
The video, played by the outlet, showed a skydiver descending at a fast speed with a parachute before the hard landing.
The Titusville Fire Department said the home was adjacent to Arthur Dunn Airpark, home of Skydive Space Center, a popular skydiving company known for its dives over shuttle launch pads, the main assembly building and the shuttle landing runway of the Kennedy Space Center, according to its website.
Police did not release if Morello was diving with the company.
McClatchy News reached out to Skydive Space Center for confirmation of Morello’s dive and did not receive an immediate response.
Police said they are investigating the death and will release more information as it becomes available.
The crash site is just miles from where two skydivers hit the ground after an apparent parachute malfunction in 2020, according to a Facebook post from the Titusville Fire Department, WZVN reported.
The two skydivers were left in critical condition, the outlet reported.
Titusville is about 40 miles east of Orlando.
This story was originally published October 9, 2023 at 11:29 AM with the headline "69-year-old skydiver dies after he crash-lands in Florida front yard, police say."
