A specially trained Navy SEAL team member was tragically killed over the weekend after his parachute malfunctioned during a festive Fleet Week demonstration. The parachutist, who has yet to publicly identified pending the notification of his family, was a member of the Navy’s elite Leap Frogs unit.
The incident occurred around lunchtime on Saturday, during a joint presentation by the Coast Guard and Navy at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey. According to NJ.com, witnesses reported that, after jumping out of a helicopter, the parachutist seemed to realize the chute wasn’t going to open and cut himself loose. He landed in the Hudson River and was quickly rescued by the Coast Guard and local fire department responders. He was pronounced dead a short time later at Jersey City Medical Center.
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The cause of the malfunction is under investigation, and the Navy released a statement a short time after the accident lamenting the untimely loss of a “true patriot.”
“Our hearts and prayers go out to his family, and I ask for all of your prayers for the Navy SEAL community who lost a true patriot today,” Rear Adm. Jack Scorby, Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, said in a statement.
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