Man dangles 80 feet in air after paraglider gets stuck in tree

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Fire and Rescue officials told Action News Jax they were called out to Palmetto Leaves Park around 6 p.m. to find a man stuck in a tree about 80 feet in the air.

They say he was using a powered paraglider and misjudged the wind after taking off.

Witnesses at the scene said they’d never seen anything like it.

“This is the first time I’ve ever heard or seen someone get stuck in a tree, like, that high up,” said witness Shikhar Jhalani.

Witness Travis Akers tells Action News Jax he and his sons saw the man flying in the park earlier but stopped paying attention.

They later realized what had happened to the man after noticing firefighters flocking to the scene.

“I stopped because that looked pretty odd, and then looking around, all of a sudden I see a parachute in the trees,” he said. “So that was definitely something you don't see every day.”

JFRD said a firefighter climbed the tree using shoe spikes and was able to lower the man to safety with a two-line rope system.

First responders tell Action News Jax the man had no injuries.

Action News Jax briefly spoke to the man who was rescued. He declined an on-camera interview but appeared to be in good spirits.

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