2 Miami men, 2 dogs killed by lightning strike on hunting trip in Central Florida

Milena Malaver, Miami Herald on Sep 26, 2025

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MIAMI — Two Miami men were killed by an apparent lightning strike during a hunting trip in Highlands County in Central Florida, authorities said.

Deputies responded around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday to the area around Rucks Dairy Road in the county’s far southeast corner, after receiving a call from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers.

FWC officers had been searching for the men and their two hunting dogs after they failed to return from a trip earlier in the week. Their vehicle was found parked nearby, and the men—identified Thursday as Alexander Karl Getz, 38, and Peter James Stansky, 31—were discovered dead on a levee next to a canal. Both dogs were also killed.

Authorities did not say what part of Miami-Dade the men lived in.

Investigators believe the men died Monday evening from a lightning strike, though the medical examiner’s office will determine the official cause and time of death.

“Our area gets more lightning than just about anywhere else in the country, especially in the summer. If you can hear thunder, that means lightning is close enough to strike, even if the sky doesn’t look too bad yet,” Highlands County Sheriff Paul Blackman said in a statement. “It is essential to pay attention and plan ahead when storms approach.”

Florida is considered the nation’s “lightning capital,” with more than 2,000 lightning-related injuries reported over the past 50 years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.