Bride is left without her new husband after tragedy on their honeymoon

Leah Rosencranz should be looking forward to making a lifetime of memories with her husband Jake, 29, but now has to come to terms with living the rest of her life without him by her side after a tragedy struck on their honeymoon. A GoFundMe fundraising page has been set up on behalf of Leah.

The GoFund page reads: “On Saturday, June 21, 2025, Jake Rosencranz passed away after being struck by lightning while on a delayed honeymoon vacation with his wife, Leah, in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. This devastating loss impacts so many loved ones, but especially Leah who will be navigating life without her husband and best friend. During this difficult time, we are looking to financially support Leah as she deals with medical bills and other implications in the wake of the loss of Jake.”

Mike Chitwood, Sheriff of Volusia County, took to Facebook two days ago and said: “So sorry for the tragic loss of a young man here on a delayed honeymoon with his wife. At 29 years old, he should have had many more anniversaries with her for years to come.”

In response to Chitwood’s post, one person wrote: “You have such a good heart sheriff, condolences to the wife and family, so very sad,” whilst another person said: “So sad… I have witnessed the ‘bolt from the blue.’ Whenever you hear thunder, take cover. Lightning can strike miles away from a storm. Such a tragedy for this young couple. Heartbreaking."

Chitwood went on to say that “Sending sincere condolences to this young woman on behalf of all of us in Volusia County who were hoping against hope that the diligent efforts of our lifeguards EMS team and ER staff would bring him back to her.”

Only a couple of days before, Chitwood wrote: “Sending a prayer for this young man and his wife. They were visiting our beaches to celebrate their marriage, in one terrifying second everything changed. My heart goes out to them tonight. I also want to thank everyone who worked so quickly to render aid and get him to the hospital for a fighting chance.”

According to Fox 35 Orlando, Jake, who was from Colorado, was struck by lightning at New Smyrna Beach, Jake was standing in ankle-deep water at the time. CPR was performed on him by a Beach Safety Patrol personnel and he was rushed to hospital.

Fox 35 Storm Steam reported that “heavy showers and thunderstorms were moving across Central Florida on Friday when the incident happened. Around 12.30pm, a powerful storm cell developed over New Smyrna Beach, with over 170 lightning strikes recorded by FOX 35 Storm Tracker Radar.”