Man IDed After Fatal Skydiving Accident In Gloucester County

Update, 4 p.m. Thursday: Authorities have publicly identified the decedent.

MONROE TOWNSHIP, NJ — A man is dead following a skydiving accident in Gloucester County on Wednesday.

The skydiver fell to the ground in Monroe Township's Stirling Glenn neighborhood shortly before 1:30 p.m., NJ.com reported. He died after jumping from a plane that took off from Skydive Cross Keys, the company said in a statement.

The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office identified the man as Timothy Joseph Slachta — a 48-year-old Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania, resident. The agency, Monroe police and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause of the parachute failure.

According to a Skydive Cross Keys statement, the man was an experienced diver who had completed over 700 jumps across more than a decade. His parachute deployed at a normal altitude upon exiting the plane and appeared fully inflated, the company said.

"Skydive Cross Keys' staff and community are deeply saddened by the loss of a loved and respected member of our community," a Skydive Cross Keys spokesperson said in the statement.

Residents of Monroe Township witnessed the accident, according to a WPVI-TV report.

"He was coming down, and he was swirling down, it almost looked like he wasn't awake," Larry Guagenti told the station.