North Carolina Man Identified as Victim in Skydiving Accident

ROCHELLE – The Ogle County Sheriff’s Office has identified a 40-year-old North Carolina man as the victim of a fatal skydiving accident on July 9th. Deputies responded around 6:50 p.m. to a report of an uncontrolled descent near 8887 S. Illinois Route 251 in Rochelle, where they say Brandon M. Schmidt of North Topsail Beach, was found with critical injuries and later pronounced dead at Rochelle Community Hospital. A second skydiver sustained minor injuries after the two reportedly collided mid-air, causing both parachutes to collapse. Reserve chutes were deployed, but the impact led to Schmidt’s fatal descent. The incident remains under investigation by the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office and federal authorities.