Man dies after being struck by lightning at New Jersey golf course: report

A 28-year-old man reportedly died from his injuries this week after being struck by lightning while participating in a golf tournament in New Jersey.

Simon John Mariani — a resident of suburban Franklin Lakes in New Jersey — was struck while playing the 15th hole at the Ballyowen Golf Course on July 8. He died “unexpectedly” on Monday, the New York Post reported, citing an online obituary.

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Brian Delia, a fellow golfer who reportedly witnessed the lightning strike around 300 yards in front of him, said Mariani was taking part in an all-day golf tournament when storms rolled in. Delia filmed the cloudy sky shortly before the incident, according to ABC 7.

“I started filming, and he was right in front of me, and all of a sudden the lightning strikes, and I ended the video recording, and we immediately just started heading back to the clubhouse,” Delia said.

Following the lightning strike, Mariani’s father provided mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and other golfers gave him CPR while they waited for authorities to arrive. The 28-year-old was then taken to the hospital, ABC 7 reported.

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Crystal Springs Resort — which operates the 250-acre golf course — said the stormy conditions developed quickly that day, and that staff sounded an alarm to warn golfers to seek shelter from the weather. However, Delia said his group did not hear an alarm, according to the New York Post. 

“Last week, the family specifically requested that no information be released about this incident,” a spokesperson for Crystal Springs Resort told Fox News Digital in an email. “Out of respect for them, we continue to honor that request.”

Mariani had been working as an associate at MTS Health Partners in New York City at the time of the incident. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and economics and received his master’s degree in finance from the same university in 2024, the New York Post reported.

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“Outside of his professional life, Simon embraced all things family and enjoyed painting, photography and baking,” as noted in the obituary. “He also loved the outdoors, including the beach, boating, fishing, hiking, golfing and skiing.”

Mariani is survived by his parents and his two sisters.

The news follows several other recent reports of deaths caused by lightning strikes. 

Olympic medalist Audun Groenvold died after being struck by lightning this past Saturday.

Last month, Spencer Loalbo, a father of three in Texas, died after a lightning strike hit him while he was golfing.