DISNEY INTERN, 20, DIES IN LIGHTNING STRIKE DAYS AFTER MOVING TO FLORIDA FOR HIS DREAM JOB

He had just moved to Florida to begin a new chapter at Disney. Days later, a sudden thunderstorm changed everything.

Matthew Jenkins, a 20-year-old Disney College Program participant from Michigan, died after being struck by lightning while running near a hotel in Celebration, Florida.

Jenkins had reportedly moved to the area just last week to begin his new role with Disney.

On Tuesday evening, he was running in a park near the Celebration Hotel when an unexpected thunderstorm moved through the area.

According to witnesses, Jenkins sought shelter under a tree as the storm intensified.

Then came the lightning strike.

“I DIDN’T EXPECT IT TO HIT A PERSON”

Witness Spyro Betz said he heard a powerful lightning strike and initially expected it to have hit a nearby building.

Instead, he and others discovered that a young man had collapsed.

“I didn’t expect it to hit a person,” Betz recalled.

Another witness, Felipe Costa, said he immediately ran toward the scene after hearing the strike.

Bystanders began trying to help Jenkins and performed CPR while waiting for emergency responders to arrive.

Jenkins was transported to Celebration Hospital, but he could not be saved.

Medical personnel reportedly observed injuries consistent with a lightning strike, including apparent exit wounds on his feet.

The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident.

A NEW LIFE AT DISNEY HAD ONLY JUST BEGUN

What makes the tragedy particularly heartbreaking is how recently Jenkins had arrived in Florida.

The 20-year-old had reportedly relocated from Michigan only days earlier to begin his Disney College Program experience — a major new chapter for a young man at the start of his career.

Disney offers college students and recent graduates opportunities through its internship and college programs, describing them as a way for young people to gain professional experience within the company.

For Jenkins, that opportunity had barely begun.

Now, his family and those who had met him are mourning a life that was cut tragically short.

A FAMILY’S HEARTBREAK

Jenkins’ loved ones described him as a kind and energetic young man.

The circumstances have left witnesses and the local community struggling to comprehend how quickly an ordinary evening outdoors could turn into an unimaginable tragedy.

Florida is known for frequent thunderstorms, particularly during its summer storm season, making lightning awareness especially important.

But for Jenkins, a moment that began as a routine run ended with a devastating loss.

He had moved to Florida looking forward to a new beginning.

Instead, his Disney dream lasted only days.

And now his family is left remembering the 20-year-old whose future had only just begun.