The death of a Duanesburg sky diver late Sunday afternoon has been ruled a suicide, police said today.
Robert E. Raecke, 60, landed without his parachute in a farm field off state Route 32 in the town of Northumberland about 5:30 p.m. Sunday. The initial investigation by the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office indicated that the parachute being used by Raecke had become detached from his body after he jumped from a plane.
Further investigation indicates that Raecke intentionally released his parachute after jumping from the plane, police said.
“It appears that Raecke jumped from the plane and intentionally unhooked his parachute, plunging to his death,” says a statement from Investigator Rick Capasso of the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office.
The man’s death was caused by “blunt force trauma” according to an autopsy performed by pathologist Dr. Michael Sikirica at Albany Medical Center.
Capasso said that Raecke was an experienced sky diving enthusiast, having made “thousands of jumps” during his lifetime.
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