A 17-year-old who sustained six spinal compression fractures after jumping from San Diego’s Sunset Cliffs is speaking publicly about his recovery, unable to walk without a walker.
While his family did not want to identify him by name, the 17-year-old told FOX 5/KUSI he is on the path to recovery.
“I slammed against the rock and I felt like paralyzed, and I couldn’t move,” he said.
The incident occurred on Saturday, July 25th, when
the unidentified boy attempted a massive leap from the rocky bluffs, sprinting at full speed toward the ledge. However, he failed to clear the rock shelf below, landing hard on his back and butt against a portion of the cliff before tumbling into the ocean.
A thunderous slap echoed when he hit the rocks.
Witnesses rushed into the ocean to help keep him afloat after he was unable to move on his own.
Video of the incident spread across social media, showing the teen jumping from the cliffs before appearing to strike the rock face on the way down and crashing into the water.
“My lungs were burning, my ribs were burning, my spine, it was the weirdest feeling it was just burning,” he said.
The pain was immediate and severe.
Now recovering, the teen told FOX 5/KUSI he suffered six compression fractures to his vertebrae and required nine stitches in his foot. While the pain has been intense, he said he is thankful he did not need surgery.
“I will say that he is very lucky that he only injured his leg,” SDFD Lt. Charlie Knight said. “This could have easily been paralysis, death or even hit the cliff, go unconscious, and drown in the water.”
He faces a long road ahead.
The 17-year-old told FOX 5/KUSI he is unable to walk without a walker, but is on the path to recovery.
His story has spread widely, yet the warnings appear to have little effect.
Less than a day later, FOX 5/KUSI found more teenagers making similar dangerous jumps despite seeing the viral video.
Several told FOX 5/KUSI they had seen the viral rescue video online but still drove from Orange County to Sunset Cliffs to jump themselves.
When asked why they continued jumping, some offered blunt reasoning.
“A lot of people jump here and there’s more spots down there,” one swimmer told NBC San Diego Monday. “We just don’t jump when the guys are here to arrest us.”
Some teens said what they are doing is called aura farming, a social media term used to describe doing something risky or impressive sometimes for attention or social media views.
Officials continue issuing warnings despite the pattern.
San Diego lifeguards say cliff jumping from heights greater than five feet is illegal under city ordinance and warn that hidden rocks, changing tides and unpredictable ocean conditions can quickly turn a jump into a life-threatening emergency.
“Cliff jumping is not only extremely dangerous, but it’s also against the law in San Diego,” Candace Hadley with San Diego Fire-Rescue said.
Back in 2019, a 15-year-old boy lost his life after jumping from these same bluffs.
In the viral moment captured on Saturday, July 25th, a 17-year-old sprinted toward the edge of Sunset Cliffs in San Diego’s Point Loma neighborhood, hoping to clear an outcropping of rocks below.
He failed to clear the rock shelf below, landing hard on his back and butt against a portion of the cliff before tumbling into the ocean.
Video posted on social media shows the 17-year-old jumping off the cliff, striking the edge of the cliff and then landing in the water around 4:30 p.m., with at least six people jumping in after him to pull him to safety.
Bystanders rushed into the water to help keep him afloat before lifeguards and firefighters rescued him using a technical rope system.