A 20-year-old Disney cast member died after he was apparently struck by lightning — just a week after he moved to Florida to work at Walt Disney World. Matthew Eric Jenkins, of Shelby Township, Michigan, was found unresponsive Tuesday night after lightning struck nearby in downtown Celebration, Florida, which sits adjacent to Disney property, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said. Jenkins’ father told WESH 2 that his son moved to Florida last week to begin the Disney College Program, an internship program at Walt Disney World for college students.
People were taking shelter on a walking path behind a hotel on Bloom Street when lightning struck near by. Moments later, witnesses saw a man — later identified as Jenkins — collapse to the ground. Felipe Costa, who was with the group taking shelter from the storm, ran over to help Jenkins.
That’s when I saw the man,” Costa told WESH 2. She came and started CPR also as soon as possible. We were just waiting until the first responders got there.” Jenkins was taken to Celebration Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the sheriff’s office said.
According to Fox 35, a lightning strike was recorded around 6:25 that evening, which may have been the one seen before Jenkins collapsed. Detectives are waiting for the medical examiner’s determination of his cause of death. The Independent has contacted Disney for comment.
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