US skateboarder Josh Neuman, 22, among four people killed in Iceland plane crash
By Ben Church, CNN
US skateboarder and filmmaker Josh Neuman was one of four people killed in a plane crash in Iceland, local authorities confirmed.
Neuman, who produced skateboarding videos for almost 1.2 million YouTube subscribers, had been in the country sightseeing and shooting a commercial when a plane he was in went missing on February 3.
On Sunday, authorities found four bodies in Lake Thingvallavatn, near the capital Reykjavik.
“The remains of four people at the bottom of the lake have been found and located at a depth of 37 meters (about 121 feet) or less,” read a statement from Icelandic Police.
Neuman was known for his daredevil videos, including skydiving from a plane and racing down mountains on his longboard. One video of him skating downhill in 2020 attracted more than 106 million views on YouTube.
“Josh represents the side of humanity we all strive to achieve. The way he not just touched, but impacted lives was on a scale of its own,” read a family statement posted on Neuman’s Instagram page.
“In his quest for adventure, thirst for creativity and passion for a personal reflection, he truly impacted all those he touched.”
It added: “As the world sheds a tear, we should know that he passed doing what he loved, having just experienced the Northern Lights in Iceland for the first time commenting, ‘This is the happiest day of my life.'”
Authorities said the mission to recover the bodies had to be abandoned on Sunday due to dangerous weather but would continue once conditions improved.
The 22-year-old had been in Iceland to shoot commercial content alongside Belgian fashion brand Suspicious Antwerp, which released a statement on its official website.
“It is with tremendous sadness that we are to report that the occupants consisted of a Suspicious Antwerp employee, two content creators, and an Icelandic pilot,” it read.
“We are enormously distressed by the news and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends.
“We are in close contact with them, as well as with the authorities, and we’re doing everything we can to assist them during these difficult times.”
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Arnaud Siad contributed to reporting.
