Experienced solo skydiver killed after performing ‘swooping maneuver,’ Florida cops say

An experienced solo skydiver was killed after performing a “swooping maneuver” during a jump in Florida, police said.

Thomas Barrett, 27, of Salem, Ohio, was pronounced dead at a hospital just after 4 p.m. on April 4, according to the Zephyrhills Police Department.

Police responded to a call for a “hard landing” at Skydive City in Zephyrhills just after 3 p.m. on April 4, according to a news release on the department’s Facebook page.

Barrett had completed more than 1,000 jumps and was listed as an experienced skydiver, according to waiver records obtained by police.

“Swooping” in skydiving involves a series of skilled maneuvers that allow the skydiver to “swoop” at high speeds over the ground or water. The skydiver dives downward and then “levels out” just before the ground.

Barrett posted a video on his Facebook and TikTok profiles of skydiving in Pasco County, Florida, where Zephyrhills is located, on April 4.

“Flow state,” the caption reads.

A TikTok user named Wendy Andric commented, “He lived his life doing what he was passionate about.”

A manager at Skydive City did not immediately return a request for comment from McClatchy News on April 5.

Zephyrhills is about 30 miles northeast of Tampa.