Georgia teen on her first skydive, veteran instructor died when their chutes failed

Georgia teenager dies in skydiving accident

THOMASTON, Ga. – A Georgia teen’s first skydive ended in tragedy.

Jeanna Triplicata, 18, and her instructor, Nick Esposito, 35, were killed in a skydiving incident Sunday.

Recommended Videos



They were performing a tandem jump outside of Macon when police say their primary parachute failed to open.

Their emergency chute also failed to deploy properly. The two died at the scene.

Triplicata’s parents and siblings were there celebrating her high school graduation.

“We were all so looking forward to after she landed and to talk to her and hear her story,” her father, Joey Triplicata, told CNN. “I feel like we were robbed of that and now we’re robbed of the rest of her life. It’s so painful.”

The Triplicata family plans to bury their daughter Saturday after a public service in their hometown of Newnan.

The family created a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money for the funeral.


About the Author:

McKinley Strother joined the WSLS 10 News team in June 2020. He anchors 10 News at 6 and 11 on Saturdays and Sundays and you'll also catch him reporting during the week.