Annapolis Teen Dies in N.C.

An 18-year-old college freshman from Annapolis died Friday when a thunderstorm came up as he was in the ocean at Wrightsville Beach, N.C., authorities said.

The student was identified as John Edward Sackett, a graduate of Broadneck High School, where he had been on the honor roll.

The storm "came up very quickly" as Sackett was swimming and friends were surfing, said Patricia L. Leonard, vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where Sackett was enrolled.

Although details were unclear, Leonard said, "the thinking is that the lightning actually hit the water" and that it might have killed Sackett. She said she understood Sackett to be a strong swimmer with lifesaving certification.

As of Saturday night, she said, no official determination had been made about the cause of death.

The U.S. Coast Guard said Sackett "reportedly struggled and submerged after lightning struck near him in the water." He was found unresponsive after a search, the Coast Guard said.

There have been 31 lightning fatalities this year in the United States, records show.