Golfer Dies After Lightning Strike on New Jersey Course
A 28-year-old New Jersey golfer named Simon John Mariani has died almost a week after he was hit by lightning on the course during a golf competition. In his obituary, Mariani, 28, was struck by lightning on July 8 during a thunderstorm while competing in a competition at Ballyowen Golf Club in Hardyston, and he died the following Monday from injuries he sustained.
Eye witnesses reported severe storms rolling through the region during the event causing hazardous conditions. Following the lightning strike, Mariani was taken to an area hospital where he was treated for his injuries under emergency conditions. He died six days later despite efforts by physicians.
Fellow golfer Brian Delia, who happened to be close by when the accident occurred, told ABC7 that he had been recording the darkening horizon just seconds before the lightning struck. "I began filming, and he was right in front of me, and suddenly the lightning strikes and I cut off the video recording and we just started making a beeline for the clubhouse immediately," Delia remembered.
Describing the frantic moments that followed, Delia added that Mariani’s father began performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, while other golfers quickly started CPR as they waited anxiously for emergency responders.
The Ballyowen course is run by Crystal Springs Resort. A representative of the resort said that employees had given a warning of impending weather before the accident. But Delia rebutted that statement, stating: "We didn't hear any horns to get off the course at all. They began blowing the horns when we were already back at the clubhouse, and that was after the police had arrived."
Mariani was recalled by friends as a kind, brilliant, and highly regarded young man. Family and friends admired his strong character, sense of humor, work ethic, and team mentality. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2019 and had been employed as an associate at MTS Health Partners in New York City.
He is survived by his parents, Scott and Kathleen Mariani, and his sisters, Samantha and Sophia. The funeral mass for Simon Mariani is Friday, July 18, at the Church of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.
