A Massachusetts man was standing on a Florida beach with his wife celebrating their honeymoon under blue skies when, without warning, he was fatally struck by lightning.
Jake Rosencranz, 29, of Weston, died June 21.
“Jake will be remembered for his amazing smile, charming personality, infectious laugh, kind heart and constant eagerness to make people happy,“ his obituary read. ”He was a truly remarkable husband, brother, son and friend.”
The couple were celebrating a delayed honeymoon at New Smyrna Beach in Florida after getting married in 2023.
Around 12:30 p.m. on June 20, Rosencranz was standing in ankle-deep water on the beach when he was struck by lightning Tammy Malphurs, director of Volusia County Beach Safety, told Denver7.
The beach, Malphurs told the news outlet, was open because the storm wasn’t over that beach.
“This was a very rare occurrence, there was not a storm immediately over us,” she said. “This lightning bolt came from a storm several miles away. So we still had blue skies over us.”
He was surrounded by family during his final moments, his obituary states.
“They were visiting our beaches to celebrate their marriage. In one terrifying second everything changed,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood wrote on Facebook.
A GoFundMe is helping raise money for his wife, Leah, to help pay for medical bills.
It has raised about $140,000 as of Monday morning.
Four people have died due to lightning in 2025.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests going inside or seeking shelter if you hear thunder, even if skies are blue. It also suggests watching for distant lightning and listening for distant thunder.
