Michigan student dies after lightning hits walking trail in Celebration, Florida

Matthew Eric Jenkins, a 20-year-old from Shelby Township, Michigan, relocated to Central Florida last week to begin the Disney College Program at Walt Disney World. Around 6:25 p.m. on Tuesday, he was discovered unconscious on a walking path behind a hotel in the 700 block of Bloom Street, Celebration, after a lightning strike hit nearby. Witness Spyro Betz reported hearing a powerful crack of lightning overhead, while Felipe Costa ran to the scene and, together with a woman, attempted CPR.

Jenkins was taken to AdventHealth Celebration, where he was later declared dead. The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office is waiting for the medical examiner’s determination of the official cause of death. His father expressed gratitude for the assistance provided by responders and bystanders.