National Guardsman dies while snowboarding at indoor facility in New Jersey

The man was wearing helmet and safety gear at time of fatal accident

US Air Force Airman first class Peter Mathews, 24. Mr Mathews died in a snowboarding accident at an indoor ski park in New Jersey (US Air Force)

A man serving in the US Air National Guard has died after a taking a fall while visiting an indoor ski park in New Jersey.

Peter Mathews, 24, of New York, died on 8 December while snowboarding at Big Snow American Dream inside the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey, according to the Associated Press.

According to police, Mr Mathews fell backward, hit his head, and lost consciousness. He struggled to breathe while unconscious, according to his sister, who spoke with Newsday.

CPR was performed at the scene of the accident, after which Mr Mathews was transported to University Medical Centre in Hackensack, where he was pronounced dead.

Mr Mathews was wearing a helmet and other safety gear at the time of the accident, and his family said he had no known underlying medical conditions.

Big Snow American Dream is a large indoor skiing and snowboarding park that opened in 2019. It is the first indoor ski park in North America.

Big Snow issued a statement following the announcement of Mr Mathews’ death.

"We can confirm that our ski patrol responded to a guest incident last Thursday evening. First aid was administered, and the guest was transported to a hospital for further care. Our thoughts are with this guest’s family at this time," the company said in a statement.

One of Mr Mathews’ friends, Beno Varghese, told Newsday that the man took what he thought was a routine fall. When he went to check on Mr Mathews he saw that he was unconscious.

"I saw him on the ground. I ran up and he was already unconscious," Mr Varghese said.

Mr Varghese said that he and a group of friends who visited Big Snow prayed while medical personnel tried to stabilise Mr Mathews.

His sister, Sarah Mathews, told Newsday her brother was an airman first class in the Maryland Air National Guard and that he planned to become a commercial airline pilot.