1 dead in freak SoCal skydiving accident as horrifying details emerge

One man is dead and another person is fighting to stay alive after a skydiving accident Thursday in Perris, California.

Firefighters responded to reports of traumatic injury on the 600 block of East Ellis Avenue just before 2 p.m. One was pronounced dead at the scene, and a second was transported to a hospital with critical injuries. A third skydiver was uninjured, the Riverside County Fire Department said.

One diver was found on the east side of the 215 freeway and another was found on the west side.

The deceased skydiver’s name was not immediately released, but the coroner’s office said he was a man.

Skydive Perris manager Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times that the three were a friend group that traveled from overseas. He called them “experienced” skydivers but that a collision between two of them happened mid-air.

“A full investigation is being conducted,” said Brodsky-Chenfeld. “Our deepest sympathies go out to all loved ones and others who were affected.”

Video captured by OnScene.TV show the aftermath of the incident, where sheriff’s deputies can be seen talking to a man wearing a Skydive Perris T-shirt.

This is not the first freak accident for Skydive Perris, which brands itself as the “West Coast’s largest and most trusted skydiving center.”

A California skydiving student was killed in 2024 with her diving instructor when the pair hit a freak “dust devil.” That same month, there appeared to be another skydiving accident in Perris with a woman from Maine.

Just last year, there was a “landing accident” that resulted in a death of a 76-year-old skydiver. There was also a June 2025 incident where a diver suffered serious injuries in a jump over Perris Valley Airport.

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