Key West shocker: man, 21, dies after jumping from the old lighthouse

Key West shocker: man, 21, dies after jumping from the old lighthouse

An unidentified 21-year-old man died Thursday night after police said he jumped from the top of the 90.5-foot Key West Lighthouse. Key West police would only say it’s a death investigation and that “initial indications” show it’s likely a suicide. The death was a shocker in small-town Key West, which even in 2026 maintains a these-things-doesn’t-happen feel. My Substack is reader supported. To receive updates and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber. Instead of official police reports, locals learned of this shocker from police dispatchers via a scanner app called CrimeRadar. I waited until morning to report, in case Key West police put out something. The agency isn’t known for willingly posting arrests, let alone something like a man jumping from a towering landmark. Here’s why I waited for the police’s statement: If a breaking news story is the first draft of history, the police scanner conversations are the handwritten notes for that draft. So it’s unclear whether the young man made it to a mainland hospital by Trauma Star, the lifesaving air ambulance helicopter people across the remote island chain rely for a level of trauma care unavailable in the Keys. People are speaking in real time during CPR and other life-saving measures. Dispatchers are relaying which agency and rescue ambulance is en route or on the scene. It’s impossible to fact-check a dispatch call.  But this much is certain about the dispatch call: The urgent grim reality of working to save a young man, who’d just plummeted from 88 steps above, could be felt listening to first responders communicate. That’s why I made a reel story and posted on Facebook: to document the precision these first responders apply while they work on an injured person in the streets or homes. Share this story by tapping the button below Even during the description of an unimaginable situation, their voices somehow gave me comfort. They were putting hands on this dying young man, giving CPR and prepping him for the emergency helicopter, in voices that expressed we won’t give up. Everyone has a chance to survive. Help is available 24/7 If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, you can call or text 988 [https://988lifeline.org/] — the no-cost, 24/7 national hotline — to speak with a counselor. The website also has a chat option [https://988lifeline.org/]. The 988 Lifeline [https://988lifeline.org/] mental health hotline is for anyone in need of emotional support. “Our skilled, judgment-free counselors are here to provide compassionate support,” the program’s website says. “You deserve to feel heard and cared about anytime, anywhere, 24/7/365.” Lighthouse museum employees called 911. “They just got word that someone jumped off the top of the lighthouse,” a dispatcher says to Key West Fire Rescue. “We have a 21-year-old of age male that jumped from the top of the lighthouse, not moving.” The Trauma Star helicopter is then put on alert, as a dispatcher reports on the channel that the injured man is “agonal,” as in gasping for breath, indicating he’s dying. ”He’s bleeding from the ears, nose and mouth…foaming from the mouth.” The next sentence spoken: “Has a pulse.” The 3 minute, 13-second call [https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BpiWMHaKm/]ends with a dispatcher asking rescuers to switch to a different channel when they can. “We’re in the middle of CPR right now,” a first responder says. “Give me just a minute.” Built by 1948, the lighthouse [https://www.history.uscg.mil/Browse-by-Topic/Assets/Land/All/Article/1955710/key-west-lighthouse/], 938 Whitehead St., is a historic museum owned by Monroe County, and a tourist attraction maintained by the Key West Art and Historical Society [https://www.kwahs.org/the-key-west-art-historical-society-reopens-the-key-west-lighthouse-keepers-quarters-museum-following-extensive-restoration/] [KWAHS]. The Key West Lighthouse and Keeper’s Quarters Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 daily. Visitors can climb the 88 steps to the top for a view of Old Town. Police haven’t indicated when they’ll tell us more about the young man who met his end in downtown Key West. “The investigation is ongoing and more information will be provided at a later time,” police spokeswoman Alyson Crean said. My Substack is reader-supported. To receive updates, become a paid or free subscriber. Get full access to Key West Newswire by Gwen Filosa at gwenfilosa.substack.com/subscribe [https://gwenfilosa.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

'Bad Monkey' wraps season 2 in Key West

Apple TV's 'Bad Monkey' Wraps in Key West. I spoke with Chad Newman, the Florida Keys Film Commissioner about Hollywood, and an indie horror movie crew, visiting Key West this year. Get full access to Key West Newswire by Gwen Filosa at gwenfilosa.substack.com/subscribe [https://gwenfilosa.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

'You think I care?' Federal agent takes bicyclist to the ground in Key West while locals record

A Key West man riding his bike to work was stopped by a federal agent who held him on the ground and threatened to break out his stun gun. “Stop, you’re going to get tased,” the unidentified agent repeatedly says. “I go to work,” the man responds to the agent. “I need to work.” Key West Newswire by Gwen Filosa is a reader-supported publication. Become a free or paid subscriber to receive news updates. The arrest was on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in downtown Key West by an agent — who in the fuzzy video — is dressed in a US Border Patrol-type uniform and driving an unmarked SUV. The bicyclist is 19, according to the Key West Immigrant Support Network [https://www.instagram.com/p/DUwHUzYEb6g/][KWISN], which posted the video Saturday after the incident, saying they only did so after getting approval from the 19-year-old’s family. The video above, taken by a bystander, shows the agent holding the man down by kneeling over him on the pavement for about 30 seconds while he searches him and restrains his hands. Before the video began, the agent “ripped” the man off his bike and “slammed” him to the pavement, KWISN said witnesses told them. Bystanders called it a battery, the nonprofit said, adding: “They state clearly that the teen did nothing to provoke the attack.” As he straddles the bicyclist, the agent pulls items out of the man’s pockets and tosses them on the street. Then the agent pulls the man to his feet by grabbing his hands, which are shackled, and puts him into the backseat of the SUV. KWISN didn’t release any information on the man who was arrested but said they know his family. ”It doesn’t really matter what this teen's background is,” KWISN posted. [https://www.instagram.com/p/DUwHUzYEb6g/] “No human deserves to be treated like this,” the group said. “And today has been one of those days where it feels like nothing will ever be enough to stop this from happening.” ‘Get out of here’ “Sir, that’s a kid he’s not resisting you,” a man watching calls out to the agent. “You threw him off his bike. What are you doing, sir? That’s a kid.” Another man watching the arrest calls the agent a fascist and a Nazi to his face. “You’re a piece of s**t,” the man tells the agent. “You’re a piece of s**t,” the agent replies. Share this story by tapping the link below Once he shuts the rear SUV door, he stands outside the driver’s side and points to onlookers. “Get out of here or you’re going to be arrested as well,” the agent tells them. The men agree to stand 25 feet back from him. “Get your face all over the internet,” one of the bystanders tells the agent, who walks back to the arrested man’s bicycle to move it out of the street. “You think I care,” the agent replies, holding his hands outstretched, palms up. “You should care, if you had morality,” a bystander says. “You threw him off his bike for no reason,” the other man says. The agent lifts up the bike that had been laying in the street, straightens it and rolls it to the sidewalk, where he just drops it. “We have you on security cameras, he wasn’t resisting,” says a woman, who appears to also be recording the agent with her phone. As the bike lands on its side, a man says, “They don’t care.” Key West Newswire is reader-supported media Thank you all for reading and subscribing. An $8/month subscription helps keep this independent local news service running. That’s the cost of a decent cup of coffee from your barista. Right now, fewer than 7 percent of my subscriptions are paid. If that doubles, I would be able to spend much more of my work week reporting and writing local news from Key West. Some of you have asked if you could make one-time payments. Of course. My Venmo is @gwen-filosa [https://account.venmo.com/u/Gwen-Filosa]. I also have Zelle. I went solo on Aug. 3, 2024, after 27 years of working for news outlets such as the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the Miami Herald, Miami’s NPR station WLRN, and the Key West daily and weekly papers. Get full access to Key West Newswire by Gwen Filosa at gwenfilosa.substack.com/subscribe [https://gwenfilosa.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Singer-songwriter Rachael Sage: a new album, DIY music label & love for vinyl

Singer-songwriter Rachael Sage [https://rachaelsage.com/]’s music is heartfelt, whimsical and always colorful — just like the artist herself. A folk-rock sensation, Sage built her career DIY-style. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the label she founded, MPress Records. Her latest album is Canopy. “I’ve always been kind of a DIY-er,” Sage told me on the podcast. “My first business that I ever ran was the barrette business that I started in 7th grade with my best friend Jenny. Shout out to Jenny from 7th grade.” Key West Newswire by Gwen Filosa is reader-supported news. To receive updates, become a free or paid subscriber. The independent musician life means she’s traveled an unpredictable path toward success. “One day you’re opening for a festival, and you’re playing in Germany for 10,000 people,” Sage said. “And then the next night, you’re in a little dive bar in the middle of nowhere, playing for, you know, 13 people. And this is the way it’s been for me, up and down for most of my career.” Sage will perform two shows at The Studios of Key West, on Feb. 17 and 18. Tap here [https://tskw.org/rachael-sage-in-concert/]for ticket information. Music was her first language Sage can’t remember a time without playing music. “I’ve always been doing music,” the New York-born artist said. “I went to the School of American Ballet from age 11.” But before that, at 2 years old, Sage started playing the family’s piano that was in the living room. She played by ear. “It was my first language in a lot of ways, to play piano by ear,” she said. Growing up, she started writing lyrics. At first, it was a way to deal with being bullied at school. “I quickly discovered that music would give me back whatever amount of energy and devotion that I put into it,” she said. “I’m so so lucky that I found that at a young age, because it’s always been there for me.” Sage is a six-time Independent Music Award winner and a John Lennon Songwriting Contest Grand Prize recipientt. She’s toured alongside Rufus Wainwright, Ani DiFranco, Shawn Colvin, and Judy Collins, and she’s performed with the New York City Ballet. A love for vinyl When Sage comes to Key West, she’ll have her brand new album, [https://soundcloud.com/rachaelsage]Canopy [https://soundcloud.com/rachaelsage], in tow — on both vinyl and CD. Turntables aren’t required, Sage said. She’s turned the record and CD packages into handheld art books. “These are probably the most ambitious artistic packages I’ve ever designed,” she said. “I also have many of my own paintings in them that I created to accompany the music. So it all really tells a story.” Sage’s humor is matched by her compassion. She matches her struggles with resilience. Share this story by tapping the button belo In 2018, at age 46, while on tour and ready to release a new album, she was diagnosed with endometrial cancer. Throughout the hospitals, treatments and pain, she kept the music close. A year later, she said she was recovered [https://rachaelsage.com/my_cancer_journey] enough to start working on a new albu. She released the album Character, a collection of songs centered on gratitude and empowerment. Today, Sage calls herself a “cancer thriver” — not survivor — and has performed to raise awareness and funds for women’s health and youth homelessness programs. Performing live is its own brand of joyful meditation, she said. “I hope that in some way, my concerts can be a kind of meditation for people to just feel human and like they’re in community,” Sage said. “To use music as a way to let go and shed some of the negativity and fear that’s in our midst right now.” Key West Newswire by Gwen Filosa is reader-supported news. Become a free or paid subscriber to receive updates. Get full access to Key West Newswire by Gwen Filosa at gwenfilosa.substack.com/subscribe [https://gwenfilosa.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Macy Gray joins the podcast!

Macy Gray [https://macygraytours.com/bio/] will play the Key West Theater [http://broke into the music scene in 1999 with the release of her debut, triple-platinum album, ON HOW LIFE IS, she has become a powerhouse of R&B and] on Friday, Oct. 24. The Key West show is part of her 25th anniversary tour celebrating the release of her debut album, On How Life Is [https://open.spotify.com/album/50DkoLL4ArRVXhWx9ssQSe?si=kuJVHtdhR6idUvoGM7HECA] which went triple-platinum after its 1999 release. Gray gave the world "I Try," an unlikely perfect love anthem. Like her voice, the song remains an ethereal gift like none other we could have imagined. From Pitchfork's review [https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/macy-gray-on-how-life-is/]: "...written entirely by Gray, On How Life Is is a 10-song embrace of uncontainable warmth and honest reflection, the debut album that only a 31-year-old mother of three could create. This is music for adults: Gray’s songs sweat and cry and mourn, f**k and regret, praise God and even plot murder. They’re sung confidently and with hunger, but never with desperation; when things feel irredeemable, like on the sprawling I-still-love-you ballad “Still,” Gray nonetheless makes it clear she’s OK—or if not totally OK, at least at peace." Get full access to Key West Newswire by Gwen Filosa at gwenfilosa.substack.com/subscribe [https://gwenfilosa.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]