Skydiving Fatalities Near Cross Keys Airport

Eleven skydivers have died since 2002 in nine accidents at Skydive Cross Keys (formerly known as Freefall Adventures Skydiving School) in Monroe, Gloucester County:

May 26, 2002: Seth Karp, 28, a nationally ranked skydiver, dies from injuries. John Eddowes, owner of Freefall Adventures Skydiving School, says Karp tried to maneuver into a turn too close to the ground. Monroe Township police say Karp’s parachute didn't open correctly.

Sept. 2, 2004: Craig Kuske, 29, an experienced jumper who had been skydiving for 10 years, dies after his parachute failed to open. The Gloucester County Medical Examiner’s Office later determines that Kuske's blood-alcohol level was 0.16%, more than twice the legal limit for driving.

July 4, 2005: Sara Loshe and Ron Samac, two veteran skydivers, die after their parachutes become entangled 150 feet above the ground.

Sept. 10, 2006: Paul Joseph 3d, a skydiving instructor, and student Reed Michael Loeschke die in a tandem jump after their main parachute malfunctions.

March 25, 2011: Carter Scott Shields, 45, the mayor of Rutledge in Delaware County, dies after plummeting into woods after his main parachute fails to open. An emergency chute activated automatically but failed to open completely.

Nov. 21, 2012: Donald Lawrence Morozin, 62, a certified skydiver with more than 3,500 jumps, falls to his death after not attempting to open his parachute. The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office says Morozin was “known to have hypertension and other medical issues that could cause him to pass out.”

April 20, 2014: Arkady Shenker, 49, a skydiver who had logged 350 jumps, dies on his third jump of the day, after becoming tangled in his parachute and failing to deploy a second parachute.

April 7, 2019: Paul Haaf Jr., 54, a skydiver with more than 1,200 jumps, falls to his death in a residential neighborhood in Monroe Township. Skydive Cross Keys says Haaf’s parachute was deployed when he exited the airplane.

May 10, 2023: Timothy Joseph Slachta, 48, a skydiver with more than 700 jumps, dies on a jump on which his parachute was deployed at a normal altitude, according to Skydive Cross Keys.