Who was Josh Neuman? American skateboarder and YouTuber KILLED in Iceland plane crash
Four people were killed in a plane crash in Iceland, including American skateboarder and YouTuber Josh Neuman, Icelandic officials said on Monday, February 7.
The body of Neuman, 22, was found in Lake Thingvallavatn on Sunday, February 6, along with those of three others - Belgian influencer Nicola Bellavia, 32, sponsorship manager Tim Alings, 27, and Icelandic pilot Haraldur Diego, 49. The Cessna 172 plane took off from the Reykjavik domestic airport and went missing soon after.
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The group, missing since February 3, were on the flight as part of a content-creation deal with Belgian apparel brand Suspicious Antwerp. The Suspicious Antwerp Team said in a statement that it was “enormously distressed by the news.” "We want to express our immense gratitude to the efforts of the local and international emergency services, as well as the numerous volunteers that have supported the search day and night," the company stated.
Who was Josh Neuman?
Josh Neuman was based out of Los Angeles, California, and attended a university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. At the age of 12, Neuman began creating YouTube videos and garnered over 1.18 million subscribers on his channel over the years.
Neuman described himself as a filmmaker, adventurer, and downhill skateboarder on his Instagram profile. He has 168k followers on Instagram. As part of his work, the content creator collaborated with brands such as Prada, GoPro, and LG, among others.
“In his 22 years on this earth, Josh didn’t just live life, he was life, and he lived every day to the fullest extent possible while being kind to everyone,” his family wrote as part of a statement on Instagram. “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 and commenting ‘this is the happiest day of my life.'"
Who were the others who died?
Belgian influencer Nicola Bellavia, 32, was also killed in the crash. He was born in Brussels and lived in Walloon Brabant. On his Instagram feed, Bellavia documented images of his travels around the world. He had 21.1K followers on the social media platform.
Also killed in the crash was sponsorship manager Tim Alings, 27. "I’ve finished studying a bachelor’s degree in International Business Management based in Leuven, Barcelona, and London. Working full-time in the marketing team of Suspicious Antwerp as a Junior Sponsorship Manager," his LinkedIn bio reads. "After traveling the world and experiencing different cultures, I acquired a wide perspective and knowledge about different cultures."
The third person to die in the crash was well-known Icelandic pilot Haraldur Diego, 49. He was also a photographer. According to Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association's website, "Haraldur Diego was a passionate advocate for general aviation in Iceland, the leader of AOPA Iceland, and a pilot who operated a sightseeing business that produced countless images of volcanoes and other spectacular scenery."
