updated 8/6/2009 2:53:00 PM ET 2009-08-06T18:53:00

A woman jogging in a Philadelphia park has been killed by a falling tree branch just days after a similar incident in New York's Central Park left a man comatose.

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Police say it was a freak accident that killed the woman Wednesday evening in Fairmount Park, one of the biggest parks in the world.

Chief Inspector Scott Small says a 30-foot-long branch fell on her from 50 feet above. He says she was killed instantly.

The woman was identified as Mary Kathryn Ladany, 23, according to NBC station WCAU. Originally from North Jersey, she lived in Philadelphia and taught at Dobbins Career and Tech High School. She was a graduate of Bucknell University, the school confirmed.

Police say it's possible the woman didn't hear the branch breaking because she was wearing a portable music player, which was still playing when they arrived.

Last week, a Manhattan computer engineer walking to work through Central Park was hit on the head by a 100-pound rotted tree branch.

His mother said over the weekend he was getting better.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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