Mystery as New York City Skydiver Found Dead Without Parachute After Jumping Out of Plane

Police lights
Authorities are still searching for the parachute pack after William A. McCartin's Sunday dive.Getty Stock Image

Police have still not found the parachute after his Sunday dive.

New York City skydiver William A. McCartin was found dead in a parking lot near Poughkeepsie after jumping out of a plane. Now, investigators want to know where his parachute pack is, and why it wasn’t on his body at the time of his death.  

The 40-year-old, who is considered an intermediate skydiver, hit the ground of the Gardiner Fire Department’s parking lot and was pronounced dead from his impact injuries.

However, it is unclear why there was no parachute pack on his body at the time of death. A witness said he had been wearing one when he jumped out of the airplane at Skydive the Ranch in Gardiner with another person at approximately 14,000 feet, police said.

"We can’t verify if it was a suicide. We don’t know if the shoot came off or if he took it off," Trooper Steven Nevel told the Poughkeepsie Journal. "If we are able to locate the parachute, it could give us some answers."

Authorities have still not found the parachute, and asked that anyone who has more information to contact the state police barracks in Highland at (845) 691-2922.

Skydive the Ranch had no comment when Inside Edition Digital reached them Wednesday morning.

RELATED STORIES