May 11, 2023
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Timothy Slachta, 48, of Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania, died in a skydiving incident after his parachute failed during a jump at SkyDive Cross Keys in Williamstown, New Jersey.
A Delaware County man was killed Wednesday when his parachute failed while skydiving in South Jersey, officials said.
The incident happened around 1:15 p.m. in the area of Kippen and Castlebay drives in Williamstown, Gloucester County.
Timothy Slachta, 48, of Garnet Valley, had departed from SkyDive Cross Keys, a skydiving center about 30 minutes from Philadelphia, Gloucester County prosecutors said. Monroe Township police responded to the scene and found that Slachta had died from the fall.
The cause of the parachute failure is being investigated with assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration.
SkyDive Cross Keys said Slachta was an experienced skydiver with more than 700 jumps, adding that his parachute was deployed at a normal altitude.
"Skydive Cross Keys' staff and community are deeply saddened by the loss of a loved and respected member of our community," Cross Keys Skydiving said.
In 2019, another experienced skydiver died after jumping from one of the company's planes.
