Diver From Haddonfield Breaks Neck In Cirque du Soleil Accident

LAS VEGAS — A Haddonfield native in Cirque du Soleil sustained injuries from an accident while performing in Las Vegas.

Kyle Mitrione fractured his neck during a June 28 show at the Bellagio Resort & Casino, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He was taken off the stage on a stretcher before he underwent emergency surgery.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) opened an investigation into the incident the following day. OSHA has six months to issue a citation if the agency finds Cirque at fault for the injury.

Mitrione expressed gratitude in a July 7 Facebook post for the love and support he's received.

"Please know the love Im feeling is keeping me going," Mitrione wrote. "It’s an indescribable sensation of hope and light. you’ve pulled me from a darkness I did not know existed."

Mitrione is an accomplished high diver, with careers as a Cirque du Soleil performer and as an acrobatic cliff diver. He injured his neck during Cirque's water-based "O" show, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The performance includes "highly daring" high dives, according to Cirque.