She had soared through the skies over 400 times, but this time was different.
The tragic passing of 32-year-old Jade Damarell, a seasoned skydiver and beloved member of the UK’s skydiving community, is now believed to have been a heartbreaking, deliberate act.
As the skydiving community laments the devastating loss of Damarell, tributes and heartfelt messages are pouring in for the woman who lived for flight.
Highlights
- Jade Damarell passed away in a skydive, believed to be a deliberate act of self-harm, after over 400 jumps.
- Damarell, who had recently separated from her husband and was living with her boyfriend, reportedly left a note before her fatal jump.
- The tragedy marked the third skydiving-related incident at the same site since 2016.
Jade Damarell, who passed away in a Skydiving incident, might have taken her own life
Image credits: Getty Images/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
On Sunday, April 27, a British marketing manager named Jade Damarell, 32, who had a record of over 400 successful jumps, tragically passed away during her final skydive. The police reported that the skydiver might have leaped to her demise on purpose.
According to a report by Metro News, Damarell crashed into a farmer’s field in County Durham in northeast England and immediately lost her life upon hitting the ground.
Police reports suggest that Damarell’s passing was not suspicious
Image credits: Jade Damarell
According to the reports of the incident, the local police department, the Durham Constabulary, said, “Her d**th is not being treated as suspicious, and a file will now be prepared for the coroner.”
Damarell’s friend, who spoke to The Sun, also agreed that “This wasn’t an accident. We believe she intended to take her life, sadly.”
"She chose not to open her parachute, and she landed on her back,” the friend added.
The skydiving company she jumped with agreed that the tragic incident was a “deliberate act”
Image credits: Jade Damarell
The skydiving company, SkyHigh Skydiving, added that “all indications from the police and British Skydiving are that this was a deliberate act taken to end her own life.”
The skydiving club added in a statement: “It is with great sadness that we confirm a tragic incident took place involving a valued member of our community.
“This heartbreaking news has deeply affected all who knew her, and our thoughts are with her family and friends as they face this unimaginable loss,” shared the company before adding, “We urge anyone in crisis to speak to someone or reach out to a mental health professional.”
Friends of the woman said that Damarell was “mad for the sport”
Image credits: Jade Damarell
Another friend of Damarell’s told Daily Mail that “everyone is devastated and deeply traumatized” by the 32-year-old skydiver’s passing, as “she was very much part of the skydiving community.”
“She was mad for the sport,” the friend shared. “In just the two days before she died, she did 11 jumps. She must have done 80 this year.”
The young woman crash-landed on a farm near the skydiving center
Image credits: Jade Damarell
Wrefords’ Farms, where Damarell crash-landed, confirmed in an online post that a woman had lost her life in a skydiving accident on Sunday morning.
On Wednesday, April 30, the farm planted a cherry tree “as a memorial to the young lady who tragically lost her life in the parachute incident” and invited locals to leave flowers at the farm gates to remember her.
Nigel Wreford, 56, a nearby farm worker, said, “I’ve been told by quite a few people that she knew what she was doing; she had apparently left a s*****e note.”
Damarell had reportedly separated from her husband and had been living with her boyfriend in recent months
Image credits: Jade Damarell
Jade Damarell majored in marketing at college in Leeds before marrying solicitor James Damarell in 2019. The couple had lived in Yorkshire but were thought to have separated in recent months.
According to insiders, Damarell had been living in lodgings in Co Durham since the end of 2014, where she had been living with a man she described to friends as her boyfriend.
One friend said, “She had been staying in the digs since the end of last year. There are bunk beds for skydivers who come from all over the country to parachute. Jade rented a double room and told us she was staying with her boyfriend. No one is living there now.”
Online users shared heartfelt comments for the young woman
Image credits: Jade Damarell
Heartfelt wishes poured in for the young woman on social media. One user said, “RIP Jade. Condolences to all family and friends.”
Another added, “Bless her! I hope she has found peace.”
A third wrote, “Tragic. Such a beautiful lady with an adventurous spirit. Why would she want to take her own life?”
While some users found the story a little suspicious. One wrote, “Sounds suspicious.”
And another asked, “How do we know she took her own life?”
The tragic incident marks the third skydiving-related passing in the area since 2016
Image credits: Jade Damarell
This incident marks the third skydiving fatality at the same airfield since 2016. In April 2024, Sam Cornwell died during a jump at the South West Industrial Estate.
And back in September 2016, 49-year-old Pamela Gower died during a charity skydive at Peterlee Parachute Centre.
And back in September 2016, 49-year-old Pamela Gower died during a charity skydive at Peterlee Parachute Centre.
Netizens reacted to the heartbreaking passing of Jade Damarell
