Three men face homicide charges in Brazil after a 21-year-old woman was thrown from a bridge during a rope jump that had no safety cord attached, authorities said.
Police identified the type of charge as “homicide with dolus eventualis,” a legal classification applied when a person recognizes that death could result from their actions but proceeds regardless. The three arrested were aware of that risk, investigators said.
The victim, named by local outlets as Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, fell roughly 40 meters (131 feet) from Skeleton Bridge in the interior of Sao Paulo state. According to police, the harness system failed at the critical moment. “The safety equipment was not properly secured at the time of the jump. The victim did not survive the fall,” authorities said in a statement to AFP.
Footage of the incident spread widely online. The clips show two men lifting de Freitas overhead before sending her over the edge, as bystanders suddenly grasp that nothing is keeping her tethered. “Guys, the cord!” they can be heard yelling.
Not long before climbing onto the structure, de Freitas had shared a photo of the location on Instagram. “Who was the crazy person who let me come jump off a bridge???” read her caption.
The jumps at the site had been organized by a company called Entre Cordas. Earlier recordings of the activity there depict participants secured with a heavy cord fastened around the waist before launching.
Authorities said they are still piecing together what happened. “Investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances and establish liability,” police said.
The discipline involved is distinct from bungee jumping. Rope jumping relies on a cord with far less stretch, so those taking part swing outward and back instead of rebounding vertically. The sport traces its origins to American climber Dan Osman, who himself was killed performing a rope jump in 1998 at age 35.
