Brooklyn Skydiver Falls Into New Jersey Backyard, Dies

A 49-year-old Brooklyn skydiver died after something went wrong during a jump Sunday and he landed in the backyard of a New Jersey home.

Arkady Shenker, a married father of two and experienced skydiver with more than 350 jumps, wore a specialized parachute known as a "wing suit," which allows a skydiver to move forward while descending.

It is unclear whether the suit opened properly, according to the Gloucester County prosecutor's office. Federal authorities will investigate the suit's functionality.

One of Shenker's adult sons told NBC 4 New York the family gave his father a skydiving jump as a gift a few years ago, and it became a passion.

"He told us If he went, that would be the way he wanted to go," Alex Shenker, 24, said outside the family's Brooklyn apartment. "He loved to see the planet as it is. He knew it was risky, but he didn't want to live scared of risk." 

Alex Shenker said he did a skydiving jump once and liked it, but once was enough for him.

His father, who was from Ukraine, was skydiving in a plane operated by Freefall Adventures in Monroe along with 15 others. Witnesses told NBC10 in Philadelphia he was spiraling as he was coming down quickly. 

Freefall Adventures told NBC10 it had no comment on the accident.