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Navy parachutist dies during demonstration over Hudson River

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) – A Navy Seal team member has died after his parachute failed to open during a Fleet Week demonstration over the Hudson River.

A Navy spokesman said the accident occurred shortly after noon Sunday near Liberty State Park.

The parachutist was a member of an elite Navy parachute team called the Leap Frogs.

He wasn’t identified pending notification of his family.

The Navy says the parachutist was rescued from the water by the Coast Guard and local fire department responders who were on standby; he was pronounced dead at a hospital at 1:10 p.m.

The cause of the parachute malfunction is under investigation.

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