Matthew Eric Jenkins dies in Florida lightning strike

Matthew Eric Jenkins, a 20-year-old from Shelby Township, Michigan, died following a suspected lightning strike in Celebration, Florida. The incident occurred on a Tuesday evening on a walking path behind a hotel on Bloom Street.

Jenkins had moved to Central Florida only one week prior to participate in the Disney College Program, a paid internship at Walt Disney World Resort. Witnesses reported that a group of people were seeking shelter from a storm when the lightning struck the area. Bystanders attempted to perform CPR on Jenkins before he was transported to AdventHealth Celebration Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Osceola County Sheriff's Office stated that the death was linked to the lightning strike, and a medical examiner's determination was sought to confirm the official cause. The incident took place in the master-planned community of Celebration, which is adjacent to, but not on, Disney property.