North Carolina officer becomes nation's first lightning death of 2025 after being struck while fishing
Santonio Catoe, 39, was struck by lightning while fishing on April 11, based on information from the National Weather Service and the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections.
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Chris Vagasky, Meteorologist and Lightnings Applications Manager for Vaisala, joined FOX Weather to talk more about lightning for Lightning Safety Awareness Week.
MAURY, N.C. – A North Carolina corrections officer has died after being struck by lightning earlier this month, and is the first known lightning fatality in the U.S. this year.
A bolt hit 39-year-old Santonio Catoe while he was fishing on April 11, according to information from the National Weather Service and the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections.
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![K-9 Officer Santonio Catoe died during a lightning strike while fishing in April of 2025.]()
Image 1 of 3K-9 Officer Santonio Catoe died during a lightning strike while fishing in April of 2025. (North Carolina Department of Adult Correction/Facebook)
![K-9 Officer Santonio Catoe died during a lightning strike while fishing in April of 2025.]()
Image 2 of 3K-9 Officer Santonio Catoe died during a lightning strike while fishing in April of 2025. (North Carolina Department of Adult Correction/Facebook)
![K-9 Officer Santonio Catoe died during a lightning strike while fishing in April of 2025.]()
Image 3 of 3K-9 Officer Santonio Catoe died during a lightning strike while fishing in April of 2025. (North Carolina Department of Adult Correction/Facebook)
North Carolina Wildlife officials said Catoe was fishing with his son and several others when he was hit by lightning and thrown from the boat about 9 p.m. at North East Creek Park near Jacksonville, North Carolina. Members of Catoe's fishing group quickly pulled him back into the boat, but he was unresponsive. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Officials said Catoe worked at the Eastern Correctional Institution in Maury, North Carolina. Colleagues celebrated his life at his funeral on Tuesday.
Before his position with North Carolina Corrections, he served in the United States Marine Corps.
Catoe was an avid outdoorsman and leaves behind a wife and four children, according to a GoFundMe page set up for his family.
Second fishing-related lightning death reported in Mississippi
A second-related death attributed to a lightning strike while fishing occurred in Mississippi on Tuesday.
Police say a fisherman was struck by lightning while out in the Goshen area, according to WLBT-TV.
Police told the station a witness reported the victim went out on the water as thunderstorms approached.
Fishing leads causes of lightning fatalities in US
According to the National Lightning Safety Council, an organization that promotes lightning safety, fishing has been the leading cause of lightning deaths in the country since 2006.
(FOX Weather)
According to the council, fishing is particularly dangerous because it requires extra time to get to a safe space.
Since 2006, there have been 44 lightning deaths linked to fishing, according to the organization's data.
Some of the other most dangerous activities that contribute to lightning deaths include beach recreation, boating and farming.
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(FOX Weather)
Twelve people were struck and killed by lightning in the U.S. last year, and an average of 20 people are killed across the country each year.
The summer months see the most lightning deaths on average in the country due to a general increase in the number of people participating in outdoor activities, coinciding with the peak of thunderstorm activity in the U.S.
Safety experts told FOX Weather that the best way to stay safe from lightning is to quickly go indoors whenever you hear thunder.