Recently, an unfortunate tragedy occurred in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, USA. A man from Colorado came here for his honeymoon with his newlywed wife, but was struck by lightning while playing in the shallow water of the beach and died after being sent to the hospital. The sweet and romantic vacation of the newlyweds instantly turned into a nightmare.
According to foreign media reports, Tamra Malphurs, director of the Volusia County Beach Safety Patrol, said that at around 12:30 noon on June 20, 29-year-old Jake Rosencranz was standing in shallow water only up to his ankles. Malphurs pointed out that the sky was clear and blue at the time, and the nearest storm was still miles away from the beach, but a rare weather phenomenon called “blue sky lightning” struck him. After a violent lightning strike, Rosencranz fell into the water on the spot.
Witnesses described that they only heard a cry for help at the time of the incident, and then saw someone rushing forward to pull Rosenkrantz back to the shore. A nearby nurse, with the help of Rosenkrantz’s wife Leah, immediately performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on him. Subsequently, lifeguards and emergency personnel who arrived at the scene quickly sent Rosenkrantz to a local hospital, but despite the medical staff’s full rescue, he unfortunately died the next day due to severe injuries.
Foreign media pointed out that according to Rosenkrantz’s social media status, he and his wife Leah had known each other for more than 10 years before they got married, and the two often shared photos of vacations and travels together on social platforms. After marriage, the two lived in a high-rise apartment near Washington Park in Denver, Colorado.
It is understood that Florida is known as the “Lightning Capital” of the United States, with an average of about 1.2 million lightning strikes per year, a density higher than any other state in the United States. According to the Florida Department of Health, there are frequent casualties caused by lightning in the state every year. Although 90% of victims survive, Rosenkrantz unfortunately became the fourth victim of lightning in the United States in 2025. The other three fatal incidents occurred in North Carolina, Mississippi and Texas, and the victims were all men.
As for blue sky lightning, it refers to the lightning phenomenon that occurs in a clear area far away from thunderstorm clouds. This kind of lightning can extend from the parent thunderstorm cloud to 20 miles (about 32.2 kilometers) or even farther, posing a threat to people in clear areas.
The cause of clear sky lightning is very complex and is not yet fully understood. It is generally believed that when the electric charge inside the thunderstorm cloud separates and generates high voltage, this high voltage may form a discharge channel between the cloud and the ground or between clouds through “jumping” or “extension”, resulting in lightning strikes even in clear areas far away from thunderstorm clouds.
