Disturbing new details emerge after woman, 21, dies in rope jump after staff allegedly forgot to attach safety cord
Topics: World News, Crime
Thomas Bamford
Featured Image Credit: Credit: X
Topics: World News, Crime
A 21-year-old woman has died after staff at a Brazilian bridge jump site allegedly failed to attach a safety rope to her harness before throwing her off a 40-meter bridge in front of horrified onlookers.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, from Jandira, was killed at the popular "Skeleton Bridge" rope jumping destination in Limeira, São Paulo, on Saturday.
She had posted excitedly about the upcoming jump just hours before her death.
Sickening footage, which has since gone viral, shows two workers carrying de Freitas in a Superman pose before launching her from the bridge.
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Within seconds, voices in the background can be heard screaming: "The rope, people, the rope!"
She suffered multiple fractures and was pronounced dead at the scene by firefighters and paramedics.
Three instructors, Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32, Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves, 27, and Maicon Fernandes Cintra, 42, now face charges of homicide with implied malice.
This charge means that police believe they didn't intend to kill someone, but their actions mean they are responsible for the risk that led to Maria's death.
They are being held in preventive detention following a custody hearing on Sunday.
Unlike bungee jumping, which uses an elastic cord and causes the participant to bounce, rope jumping uses a climbing-style rope that stops the fall in a controlled way, swinging the jumper back and forth like a pendulum.
According to Brazilian news site G1, when questioned by police, the three instructors appeared disoriented and were unable to explain why the rope had not been connected to de Freitas.
They could not recall whose responsibility it was to attach it, nor why a final safety check had not been carried out.
Egoroff told the court on Sunday that he removed his clothing because it was wet from the conditions at the scene, not in an attempt to flee.
"My shirt was already wet. It was very dirty. I went to the car and put on a clean one," he said, adding: "We're here. Nobody ran."
Cintra similarly denied attempting to flee and said he could not account for the safety failure. "Usually it's [Egoroff] who puts on the rope," he told the court. "In 99 per cent of cases … and I assist with the operation. I participate in the check, I call the person, I check the helmet. But in her case, I don't remember."
Officers told a different story, stating that while one officer stepped away to help with rescue logistics, the individuals moved toward a wooded area before being tracked down with the assistance of other patrol cars and an aircraft.
Judge Paulo Henrique Stahlberg Natal of the Criminal Court of Limeira ordered the preventive detention of all three men, citing five aggravating factors including gross negligence in a high-risk commercial activity, the deliberate omission of essential safety equipment, and an attempt to obstruct the investigation. The judge also warned that releasing the men could lead to 'the repetition of equally dangerous conduct'.
São Paulo police chief Andréa Dantas Levy confirmed the bridge had previously been the site of several tragedies, including the death of a cyclist who fell while taking a selfie, as well as suicides and prior failed jumps, but stressed that the circumstances of de Freitas' death were unprecedented.
The group behind the jump had been charging 180 Brazilian real (around $50) per person and had five further dates advertised for the coming months.
Future events at the same bridge were still being promoted for July 11 at the time of reporting.
De Freitas, who held a degree in physical education and sports management, regularly posted about outdoor activities and nature on her social media.
In one of her final posts, taken just minutes before the jump, she shared a photo of the company banner alongside the caption: "Who was the crazy person who let me jump off a bridge?"
Tragically, Maria's death is the third major accident to take place at Brazil's Skeleton Bridge over the last two years.
Ponte do Esqueleto, nicknamed Skeleton Bridge, was meant to be part of Brazil’s Federal Railway Network (RFFSA).
It’s been abandoned for around 30 years. However, it has remained popular with extreme sports enthusiasts, and this isn’t the first tragedy that has taken place there.
According to O Tempo, one businessman claimed the bridge receives 500 visitors a month.
Mom-of-one Kelly Stefani de Oliveira Alves, 39, is cycling with her husband on the Skeleton Bridge when she loses her balance as her foot touches a low wall.
Tragically, she falls off the bridge and drops 15 meters with her bike, dying at the scene and leaving behind a seven-year-old son.
Following the accident, Brazil’s Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services (MGI) asks for the bridge to be closed and for danger signs to warn people not to go on it.
Nevertheless, activities at the site resume.
Two women fall from the Skeleton Bridge and suffer serious injuries.
One woman is taken to Santa Casa de Limeira hospital with critical injuries. Another suffers multiple fractures throughout her body.
The Criminal Court of Limeira have been approached for comment.