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Official: Video shows YouTube ‘King of Random’ fatal crash

Jonathan Grant Thompson, the man behind the popular science-focused YouTube channel, The King of Random.


St. George • A Utah sheriff’s official says the creator of the YouTube channel “King of Random” shot video that showed his fatal paragliding crash and that it indicates the craft crashed quickly after its chute collapsed.

Washington County sheriff's officials are investigating the death Monday of 38-year-old Jonathan Grant Thompson, whose videos of experiments and hands-on tips have been watched over a billion times.

Sheriff’s Lt. David Crouse told The Associated Press on Saturday that it appears a change of wind caused the paraglider’s chute to collapse and that Thompson tried to deploy a reserve chute but didn’t have time before plunging about 100 feet to the ground.

Crouse said Thompson never regained consciousness after crashing and that the video belongs to Thompson’s family and won’t be released by authorities.


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By The Associated Press