Body of missing paraglider located in Washington County
By David Crouse
On July 29, the St. George Emergency Dispatch Center received a report of an overdue paraglider. The pilot was reported as leaving the Dixie Springs subdivision near Sand Hollow State Park. The caller reported the pilot was overdue by one hour and they were unable to reach him on his cellular phone.
Officers with the Hurricane Police Department and the Bureau of Land Management initially responded to the incident based on where the pilot departed from. The caller was able to provide the last known GPS coordinates as of 9 p.m. that evening. Volunteers with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue and a life flight helicopter were requested to assist in locating the pilot. Dispatchers were able to obtain an updated GPS location of the pilot’s cell phone. As the helicopter approached the area, they were able to locate the pilot’s body. The life flight crew landed in the area to assess the pilot’s conditions. Unfortunately, the pilot was determined to be deceased.
By authorization of the victims spouse, the pilot of the paragliding accident is identified as 38-year-old Jonathan Grant Thompson of Hurricane. Thompson was well known through social media as “The King of Random” where thousands of his followers have expressed their condolences for him and his family following this tragic incident.
Detectives were able to recover the paragliding equipment along with a video recording device. They are currently reviewing the video to determine factors which led to the aircraft crash. The Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation into the incident, however it should be noted that foul play has been ruled out.
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