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The Disney World guest who died by suicide last week was identified as an aspiring NFL referee who shared his excitement on social media about embarking on a new career. Matthew Cohn, 28, died last Thursday after he jumped from a balcony at the Contemporary Resort hotel in Orlando, Florida, according to the Orange County Medical Examiner's Office. The tragic death was the third in two weeks at Disney. Another woman died by suicide at the same hotel, while a third man died just days prior at the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. Cohn had previously documented his journey to become a referee for the National Football League on social media before his death at the park. An Instagram account associated with Cohn shared photos of himself posing in the uniform and included a link to an article about becoming a referee in his bio. He shared his last post in September 2024 on the football field, captioned 'Big-time players, make big-time plays,' according to The US Sun. In May 2024, he reportedly said he had signed an offer to officiate Division II College Football Teams. The account has since been made private, but his bio says he lived in Nashville, Tennessee, and included the quote: 'I am, so I will!' Another account associated with Cohn documented his time living in Los Angeles. His last post on that account was in September 2021 in Joshua Tree, California. The photo carousel included photos of him rock climbing and hiking in the desert, with the caption: 'Dunked on the desert this past weekend. Joshua Tree Rocks!' The aspiring referee was living in Winter Garden, Florida, when he died, a suburban city outside of Orlando. Cohn died from multiple traumatic injuries after he checked into the Disney resort hotel, paid cash for the room, and jumped from the 12th floor, The US Sun reported. The incident is the second death by suicide at the Contemporary Hotel following Summer Equitz, 31, who died on October 14. The Daily Mail learned that Equitz gave birth to a baby daughter earlier this year and was believed to have been suffering from postpartum depression. Before her death, a post created by an apparent family member spread on Reddit urged people to call authorities if they spotted Equitz at the Disney park. The post said Equitz booked a trip to Florida from her home in Naperville, Illinois, without telling family members. Her LinkedIn profile said she was a nanny who had previously worked for Disneyland Resort in California as a character performer and entertainment host from 2012 to 2015. Equitz, who was married to Nico Danilovich, celebrated her honeymoon at Disney World last October. She had also shared images of herself at Disney theme parks, including one photo alongside Disney CEO Bob Iger. Equitz captioned the shot with Iger: 'My life has peaked.' A spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office dismissed online rumors that Equitz had been struck by the Contemporary Resort's iconic monorail train at the time of her death. A man in his 60s whose name was not released also died this month. He was rushed to the hospital after experiencing a medical episode at the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. He was reportedly staying with his wife at the resort, where she found him unconscious in bed upon returning to their room. The man died at the hospital at 8:26 am, and there were no signs of foul play, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said. The Daily Mail reached out to Disney World for comment.
