MONROE TWP. — A 49-year-old man from Brooklyn, N.Y., died in a skydiving accident Sunday afternoon, according to the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office.
Washington Township police responded to a call of an injured skydiver at 2:12 p.m. Sunday.
Arkady Shenker jumped from a plane that had taken off from Freefall Adventures in Williamstown.
Emergency responders found him behind a yard in the 100 block of Tuckahoe Road, at which point he was taken to Kennedy Hospital in Washington Township. He was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after 3:30 p.m.
Shenker was wearing specialized "wing suit" during the jump that allows a skydiver to move forward while descending. It's unclear whether the suit contributed to the accident, investigators said. Shenker was described by the prosecutor's office as an experienced skydiver with 350 jumps, and was a frequent visitor to Freefall Adventures.
The airplane he boarded Sunday along with 15 others was the fourth load of skydiver of the day that flew from Cross Keys Airport, where Freefall is located. Shenker had come to Freefall alone, authorities said.
Monroe Township Police Department and the prosecutor's office responded to the incident. The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified and will investigate the cause of the accident.
Contact staff writer Andy Polhamus at 856-686-3729 or apolhamus@southjerseymedia.com