Skateboarder and YouTube star Josh Neuman dies at age 22 in Iceland plane crash
Popular YouTuber and skateboarder Josh Neuman was among four people killed in a plane crash in Iceland, authorities said on Monday. He was 22.
Neuman, who had 1.2 million YouTube subscribers, was known for his wildly popular skateboarding videos, in which he was seen performing dangerous maneuvres longboarding downhill at incredible speeds. One of his videos, from 2019, has been viewed more than 106 million times.
According to The Associated Press, Neuman wan on a flight to create content for the Belgian fashion brand Suspicious Antwerp.
Three other people were also in the small sightseeing plane, which disappeared from radars on Thursday: the company’s sponsorship manager, 27-year-old Tim Alings; a 32-year-old skydiver from Belgium named Nicola Bellavia; and the pilot, 49-year-old Haraldur Diego.
On Sunday, authorities said that the remains of four individuals had been located at the bottom of Lake Thingvallavatn, Iceland’s second-largest lake.
The bodies, which were found at depths of up to 157 feet were located with the help of sonar technology and a submarine.
Search operations had to temporarily stop due to poor weather, however. Rescuers were prepared to dive to retrieve the bodies, “but as the weather is deteriorating rapidly, it was decided to stop operations as it is not possible to ensure the safety of the divers in the current conditions,” Southern Iceland police said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Suspicious Antwerp, Bram Boriau, told the AP that the purpose of the flight was to capture footage of Iceland’s scenery.
“All persons present were hugely passionate about travel and content creation, hence these themes were the main focus of the trip,” he said.
In a statement published on its website, the company said that “the loss of our close friends has left all of us at Suspicious Antwerp in a state of mourning.”
It also expressed gratitude to “everyone for their support, condolences and love,” and to “emergency services, volunteers and many others that have been and are still working selflessly day and night to help the loved ones find closure.
Neuman, who began filming his longboarding videos at the age of 12, was based in Los Angeles.
