Experienced skydiver falls to death in middle of New Jersey neighborhood

MONROE TOWNSHIP, New Jersey -- A skydiver fell to his death in a Monroe Township neighborhood on Sunday afternoon.

Authorities say a 54-year-old man fell from the sky after his parachute failed to deploy.

"I heard a thud, we thought a car hit somebody then I saw this white thing lying there," said Rosemary Ilgenfritz.

Kayla Maure said, "It's traumatizing. I didn't see it happen, just seeing his body there is traumatizing. Neighbors in the Brookdale development were horrified and quickly called 911."

Neighbors say the deceased was surrounded by a parachute but police told them it appears the backup chute was attached to him.

Police began searching the area for another parachute.

Neighbors also describe seeing more than one skydiver around the same time as the accident leading them to believe more than one person jumped from the same plane.

Crosskeys Airport is only a few miles away and is a popular destination for skydivers.

Residents familiar with Crosskeys skydivers say it appears the victim somehow veered off course.

"The jumper was very experienced having over 1000 jumps to his credit. The skydiver's parachute was deployed upon exiting the airplane," said Skydive Cross Keys in a statement to Action News.

The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office says it is investigating this accident.