A chilling VR simulation has been created to depict the tragic incident involving John Edward Jones when he got trapped in the Nutty Putty cave in Utah.
In 2009, Jones decided to explore the notorious cave alongside his brother Josh and several friends. The cave is located about 55 miles from Salt Lake City. Unfortunately, Jones made a wrong turn, leading to a dire situation from which he never emerged.
While navigating the extremely narrow passages, Jones found himself stuck after trying to squeeze through a section known as the Birth Canal.
The hydrothermal cave is notoriously tight, but the Birth Canal passage is particularly restrictive, requiring careful maneuvering.
Jones had intended to traverse the Birth Canal, but he mistakenly veered off course and ended up trapped in an area measuring a mere 10 x 18 inches.
Believing he could emerge on the other side, Jones continued to push through the tight space until he became completely stuck, unable to turn back.
Tragically, Jones passed away after enduring 27 hours of rescue attempts, ultimately succumbing to cardiac arrest.
Rescuers attempted to free him using a rope system, but they were unable to elevate him sufficiently to clear the passage. The rope system eventually failed, causing Jones to slip further down the tunnel.
In a conversation with rescuers, Jones expressed his despair: “I’m going to die right here. I’m not going to come out of here, am I?”
He also inquired about Ryan Shurtz, a rescuer injured when a metal carabiner hit him in the face, asking: “Is he OK? I think he’s really hurt bad.”
Soon after, Jones became silent and eventually lost consciousness.
Recently, JustinWieb VR shared a VR clip that illustrates what it was like inside the cave, including the exact spot where Jones was trapped, offering a truly harrowing perspective.
One viewer commented: “Knowing that John Jones is still down there, although not alive but just knowing that there’s a pair of legs sticking up out of a hole in mute silence is utterly terrifying.”
Another added: “I can’t imagine the sheer amount of panic that came over him when he realized he hit a dead end, plus he was upside down.”
Brandon Kowalis, one of the rescuers, recounted that Jones was able to say goodbye to his family via radio.
“There was a request to take the radio down to John so that his family could say some words to him,” he explained.
“I think it was his father, mother, and wife who spoke to him, telling him that they loved him and were praying for him and that his father had given him a blessing.
“His wife mentioned a feeling of peace, that everything would be OK. She talked to him about 5 to 10 minutes before I told her that we needed to get back to working at getting him out.”
Following Jones’ tragic death, it was determined that recovering his body posed too great a risk.
Consequently, the cave was closed permanently, and the entrance has been sealed with concrete.