69-year-old skydiver found dead after landing on lawn of Florida home

TITUSVILLE — A skydiver found dead on the front lawn of an east central Florida home Sunday has been identified, police said.

The skydiver, Frederick C. Morello, 69, of Ormond Beach, was discovered wearing parachuting gear by a resident in Titusville, a coastal city about 35 miles east of Orlando. Emergency responders arrived at the scene just before 12:30 p.m. in response to a "solo parachuting" incident, police said.

It was not immediately known if Morello's gear properly deployed.

A medical helicopter also was called but was canceled, Titusville Fire Department officials reported. Paramedics attempted to revive the parachutist before pronouncing him dead at the scene. Police did not release details of any flight arrangements or the name of the company that conducted the skydiving excursion.

Morello's body was turned over to the Brevard County Medical Examiner’s Office for further investigation.

More: Titusville police investigating skydiving incident that critically injured two men

Skydiving remains a popular pastime in Brevard and nationwide, with flight centers in Titusville and Melbourne Beach and further to the south in Sebastian, according to the United States Parachute Association, which reported 20 fatalities nationwide for 2022.

In 2020, Titusville police were called to investigate after two parachutists were critically injured after plunging into a tree from several hundred feet in the air after jumping from a plane. The two men spun wildly in mid-air before both slammed into an oak tree in the front yard of a one-story home in the 900 block of Tennessee Street, reports show.

The area, with Arthur Dunn Airport less than a mile away from the site of the fatal landing, is a frequent site for skydivers.

Contributing: Christopher Cann, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 69-year-old man identified in Florida skydiving death