Neighbors remember boater killed by lightning strike

Investigators: Jeffrey Moyer struck on Lake Owen in Umatilla

UMATILLA, Fla. – Neighbors are remembering a man who Lake County investigators said was killed by a lightning strike Wednesday.

A neighbor told News 6 that he ran over to try to save the man when he saw him on the boat, but it was too late.

Investigators said Jeffrey Moyer, 44, was killed while on his boat on Lake Owen in Umatilla.

On a 911 call, another neighbor is heard shortly after discovering Moyer.

"Just went out to my dock to ... fish, and I saw my neighbor laying over his boat, and I called my other neighbor and we just went and checked him and it doesn't look like he's breathing," the witness is heard on the call. "I don't think he's breathing, ma'am. He's my neighbor."

A neighbor gave News 6 a photograph that he took of Moyer while fishing on Friday, adding that Moyer was a UCF graduate who recently lived in Nevada, before his temporary stay in Florida.

Several community members said Moyer started renting the home last spring and was seen daily out on the lake fishing.


About the Author

Troy graduated from California State University Northridge with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication. He has reported on Mexican drug cartel violence on the El Paso/ Juarez border, nuclear testing facilities at the Idaho National Laboratory and severe Winter weather in Michigan.

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