The recent tragic incident at Disney World has brought to light the story of Matthew Cohn, a young man with dreams of becoming an NFL referee. Sadly, Cohn, 28, took his own life last week at the Contemporary Resort hotel in Orlando, Florida, according to the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Cohn’s death marks the third suicide at Disney in the span of two weeks, following similar tragedies at the same hotel and at the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground.
Before his untimely passing, Cohn had been sharing his aspirations on social media, chronicling his journey toward a career in sports officiating. His Instagram account, filled with images of him donning a referee’s uniform, included a link to an article about the path to becoming a referee.
In a hopeful note, Cohn had recently announced in May 2024 that he had secured an offer to officiate for Division II College Football Teams, a step forward in his pursuit of joining the NFL ranks.
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!’
Matthew Cohn, 28, died by suicide on October 23 at the Contemporary Resort at Disney World in Orlando, Florida
Cohn shared his aspirations to become an NFL referee on his social media profiles before his death
Cohn’s death marked the second this month at the Contemporary Resort (pictured) (file photo)
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.
Cohn had two social media accounts associated with his name that detailed his life in Nashville and Los Angeles
Cohn stopped posting on one of the social media accounts last year and the profile is now private on Instagram
Cohn died from multiple traumatic injuries after he checked into the Disney resort hotel, paid cash for the room, and jumped from the hotel’s balcony
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.
It is the third death reported at Disney World in recent weeks, following the news that Summer Equitz (pictured), 31, died on October 14
Equitz shared her love for Disney, including a photo with CEO Bob Iger, on her social media accounts
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.
