A 21-year-old woman has died after workers at a rope jump attraction in Brazil allegedly launched her from a 40-metre drop before attaching the safety rope to her harness, according to investigators.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, who was from Jandira in São Paulo state, died on Saturday, June 13, at the well-known Ponte do Esqueleto, or “Skeleton Bridge,” in Limeira, in the state of São Paulo.
Police say she had asked to be launched in an “airplane” style position, with her arms outstretched, before the fatal jump.
Earlier that same day, she had shared posts on social media expressing excitement about taking part in the jump.
Video of the incident, now widely circulated online, appears to show two staff members holding de Freitas in a Superman-style position before pushing her from the bridge.
Moments later, people nearby can be heard shouting: “The rope, people, the rope!”
Emergency responders said she suffered multiple fractures and was declared dead at the scene by firefighters and paramedics.
Investigators said the incident happened during a rope jump, a sport that uses a climbing rope to control the fall and create a swinging motion, rather than the elastic cord used in bungee jumping.
Six people connected to the event were taken to the police station, and three instructors — Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32, Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves, 27, and Maicon Fernandes Cintra, 42 — were later charged with homicide with implied malice.
All three were placed in preventive detention after a custody hearing held on Sunday, June 14.
Brazilian media reported that the company involved was operating under the name Entre Cordas and that authorities found no proper authorisation for the activity at the site.
During questioning, the instructors reportedly struggled to explain how the rope had been left unattached and could not clearly say who was responsible for the final safety check.
Police also said some of the workers attempted to leave the area after the incident, prompting a search that ended with their detention.
During Sunday’s hearing, Egoroff said he changed clothes because they had become wet at the site, rejecting any suggestion that he had been trying to escape.
“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 also denied trying to flee. He told the court he was unable to explain how the safety lapse had happened, saying: “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.”
Police officers, however, gave a different account. They said that after one officer left briefly to coordinate rescue arrangements, the men headed toward a wooded area and were later located with support from additional patrol vehicles and an aircraft.
Judge Paulo Henrique Stahlberg Natal, of the Criminal Court of Limeira, ordered that the three remain in preventive detention. In his ruling, he pointed to five aggravating factors, including severe negligence during a high-risk paid activity, the omission of essential safety equipment, and alleged attempts to hinder the inquiry. He also said that releasing them could result in “the repetition of equally dangerous conduct.”
Limeira officials said the bridge had already been the subject of repeated complaints and that they had long warned about the use of the site for extreme sports without proper oversight.
The city has also said it intends to take legal action over what it describes as federal inaction over the bridge’s use for rope jumping events.
De Freitas had qualifications in physical education and sports management and frequently shared content online about nature and outdoor adventures.
One of her final social media updates, posted shortly before the jump, included a photo of the company’s banner and the caption: “Who was the crazy person who let me jump off a bridge?”
The Criminal Court of Limeira have been approached for comment.