Matthew Eric Jenkins, Shelby Township, Michigan man killed in freak lightning strike in Celebration, Florida days after moving for Disney college program. Victim at the time was running in the park when tragedy struck. Authorities await official cause of death.
A 20-year-old Michigan man has died just days after moving to Florida to start interning for Disney only to be ‘apparently’ struck and killed by a lightning strike.
Matthew Eric Jenkins of Shelby Township, Macomb County, Michigan had moved to Central Florida last week to begin the Disney College Program when fate intervened.
Witnesses were taking shelter from the rain near the walking path behind a hotel on Bloom Street, Tuesday evening when lightning struck nearby just on 6.30 p.m. Moments later, people noticed a man, later identified as Jenkins, collapsing nearby.
20-year-old Disney intern found unresponsive at time of lightning strike
CPR was performed on the ‘unresponsive’ man until first respondents arrived at the scene. Jenkins was taken to Celebration Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Jenkins’ father speaking to WESH 2 said his son had begun the Disney College Program last week. The program involves select college students interning at Walt Disney World.
Leading up to the tragedy, Jenkins was running in a park near the Celebration Hotel on Bloom Street when a sudden thunderstorm forced the former high school cross country runner to seek shelter under a tree, according to the Osceola County Medical Examiner’s office.
At the time, the 20-year-old was training for the Chicago Marathon.
‘We travel yearly to Disney World and he liked to run in Celebration,’ the parent told WESH 2. ‘He was a kind soul and very funny. He was loved by his parents, brother, girlfriend, extended family and several close friends that were like family.’
Shelby Township man found unresponsive moments after lightning strike
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 awaiting the medical examiner’s determination of the exact cause of death.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, released a statement saying, ‘We are deeply saddened by the passing of Matthew. He had just begun his Disney College Program journey, and will always be remembered as part of our Disney community. Our hearts are with his family, friends and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.’
The 20-year-old’s death is the latest in a string of lightning strike deaths in Florida in recent weeks and comes just days after a Utah dad dying after apparently being struck by lightning strike jet-skiing in Petersburg, Florida.
What are the odds of being struck and killed by a lightning strike in the U.S?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Florida has famously been known as the ‘lightning capital’ as it has recorded over 2,000 related injuries over the past 50 years.
Florida leads the nation in lightning deaths with 100 reported from 2006 through 2025, according to the National Lightning Safety Council. Texas had the second highest number of fatalities at 44, followed by Colorado’s 27.
Although about 37 million bolts hit the ground in the US each year, the odds of being struck are less than one in a million. Victim data has shown that only 10 percent of such incidents are fatal.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research has found that the top three activities that lead to lightning-related deaths are boating, fishing and camping.
While lightning is not attracted to any specific material — a persistent myth is that it seeks out metal — it is more likely to strike taller objects, making someone in a field, on a boat or beach, repairing a roof or on an open highway more exposed.
Of note, authorities have yet to say what they believe may have caused the 20-year-old Michigan man to have attracted the lethal lightning bolt.
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