Skydiver is found dead without a parachute - but a witness tells police the New York City man was wearing it when he jumped out of the plane

• William McCartin, 40, was found dead in the parking lot of a fire department 
• The intermediate skydiver plummeted from a plane after jumping from 14,000ft
• He boarded the aircraft at Skydive the Ranch in Gardiner, New York, on Sunday
• Police are searching for a missing parachute which witness says he was wearing 

A skydiver has been found dead with no sign of a parachute - but a witness claimed he was wearing the device when he jumped out of the plane.

William McCartin, 40, boarded a plane at Skydive the Ranch in Gardiner, New York, on Sunday before jumping out of the aircraft at 14,000ft with another skydiver, who has been identified as a coach. 

Mr McCartin, an intermediate skydiver who had already completed more than 220 jumps, was wearing a parachute when he left the plane, a witness told State Police.

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William McCartin, 40, boarded a plane at Skydive the Ranch (pictured) in Gardiner, New York, on Sunday before jumping out of the aircraft at 14,000ft with another skydiver, who has been identified as a coach

The two skydivers separated when it was time to open their respective parachutes, to give each other enough room for their parachutes to open properly.

But Mr McCartin plummeted to the ground and died in the parking lot of the Gardiner Fire Department on State Route 44/55 at around 3.06pm.

There was no parachute with Mr McCartin or nearby, and police are still searching for the item.

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Mr McCartin, an intermediate skydiver who had already completed more than 220 jumps, was wearing a parachute when he left the plane, a witness told State Police

Officers are asking anyone who may have found it, or who saw McCartin falling, to call them at the Highland barracks. 

'We can't verify if it was a suicide. We don't know if the shoot came off or if he took it off,'  said Trooper Steven Nevel, Troop F spokesman. 'If we are able to locate the parachute, it could give us some answers.' 

If the parachute is found, troopers are asking people not to touch or move it. 

It comes after a skydiving instructor captured his own mid-air emergency on camera when his parachute became tangled and he had to deploy his emergency chute. 

Joseph, whose surname is unknown, was on a routine work jump above Shelbyville, Tennessee.  

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Skydiving coach Joseph's parachute became tangled thousands of feet above Shelbyville, Tennessee, on June 13 while he was on a routine work jump

The parachute cords twisted, leaving Joseph spinning through the air as he tried to get the chute under control.

As the lines continued to tangle themselves together, the experienced skydiver fell for around 10 heart-stopping seconds.

The instructor managed to release his first parachute and opened his reserve chute, regaining control.

He was then able to guide himself to the ground where he landed safely in a field.