Friends’ skydiving outing ends in tragedy in Perris

One person was killed and another was in critical condition after a skydiving accident in Perris on Thursday afternoon, authorities said. Firefighters responded to the scene of a traumatic injury involving skydivers near the 600 block of East Ellis Avenue just before 2 p.m., according to the Riverside County Fire Department. One person was declared deceased, another transported to a hospital with severe injuries and a third skydiver located without any injuries. The three skydivers were a group of friends traveling from overseas who went jumping together while visiting Skydive Perris, manager Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld said in a statement. They were all experienced skydivers who landed under good parachutes, he said. It appears there was a collision during freefall between two of the friends. Deputies with the Riverside County Sheriff's Office were also dispatched to assist with the emergency and found the deceased skydiver in a field on the east side of the 215 Freeway and the injured skydiver on the west side of the freeway, according to a department spokesperson. Video captured by OnScene.TV in the aftermath of the incident showed sheriff's deputies speaking to a man wearing a Skydive Perris T-shirt next to a field of dry brush cordoned off with police tape. "A full investigation is being conducted," said Brodsky-Chenfeld. "Our deepest sympathies go out to all loved ones and others who were affected." In 2024, an instructor and a student with Skydive Perris died when they encountered a "dust devil," a rotation of hot air and dirt that resembles a mini tornado, that sent them slamming into the ground. Skydiving fatalities are rare, according to data from the Unites States Parachute Assn. Last year, its members reported making 3.47 million skydives. In the same year, there were a total of 16 skydiving fatalities recorded in the United States.