A 21-year-old woman who died in a shocking bungee jumping incident in Brazil had posted a chilling final message on social media shortly before the jump, as public pressure mounts for those involved to be held accountable.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas was captured in disturbing footage that has spread online after she was thrown from Skeleton Bridge in Limeira, in the state of Sao Paulo, on Saturday, leading to her death.
Video from the scene appears to show the young woman wearing a helmet and what looked like safety gear, but she was not actually secured either to the bridge or to any bungee cord.
She was reportedly carried to the edge by two workers — one holding her legs and the other supporting her upper body — while she remained in a superman-style pose, before being thrown over the side.
According to Brazil’s military police, two men ran from the scene moments after the group on the bridge realized what had happened, local outlet O Globo reported.
Authorities later found the pair in a wooded area with the help of a helicopter, bringing the total number of arrests to six. Of those detained, three were charged at the scene with homicide with implied malice, according to G1.
Just moments before she fell around 130 feet to her death, the young Jandira native had posted to her Instagram, showing off the jump wristbands and Skeleton bridge.
Underneath a photo, Rodrigues de Freitas wrote: ‘Who was the crazy person who let me come jump off a bridge?’
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, posted photographs of her jump wristbands and the bridge just moments before she was thrown off the bridge on Saturday
In total, six people were arrested after the two who fled into a wooded area were located by helicopter. Three of those arrested at the scene were charged with homicide with implied malice
According to the friend, Rodrigues de Freitas was a ‘beautiful’ young woman ‘full of dreams’ and interrupted plans
Bystanders can be heard in the video frantically yelling out, ‘the rope, people, the rope’, as she was released from the grip of the employees.
Higor Diniz, who had been on the bridge at the time of the incident, told EPTV that after Rodrigues de Freitas plummeted to her death, onlookers began to panic.
‘There were a lot of people there – not just a few. There were many people at the site. There were children there too, and they saw it happen,’ he told the outlet.
‘Some of the children were only six years old. It was a very intense scene. People panicked. Some who were farther back grabbed their belongings and started leaving.’
According to the outlet, the suspects who were arrested were 42 and 27 years old, while the third is a 32-year-old civilian firefighter.
The military police told O Globo that the proper fixation of the equipment would not have been carried out, causing Rodrigues de Freitas to fall to her death.
Emergency responders arrived and pronounced her dead at the scene. Her body was then recovered before being transported to the Legal Institute for further investigation.
Delegate Andrea Dantas Levy told the outlet that the company operating the daredevil activity on the bridge ‘didn’t even have authorization to be there.’
Video taken at the scene shows the young woman being taken to the edge by the staff before being thrown into the ravine
Bystanders can be heard frantically shouting in the background, ‘the rope, people, the rope’, in the seconds after she was released
‘They ended up organizing this event, and, this fatality happened today, in my perception, due to a failure to verify and supervise the placement of the rope on the victim’s jump,’ Levy said.
The suspect’s legal teams told G1 that the workers were very experienced and this had been the company’s first fatality in years.
According to the outlet, the three workers arrested were unable to offer a reason for the negligent error nor why final security checks weren’t conducted upon Rodrigues de Freitas’s turn to jump.
The graduate had recently earned her degree in Physical Education and Sports Management, and was seen on social media regularly sharing content on her passions, including physical activity, adventure and spending time in nature, O Globo reported.
A family member wrote on Instagram: ‘Until now I don’t believe it, I love you so much I’ll never forget you from our jokes, [I’ll] always remember you. I love you so much princess.’
Another friend wrote in a post on Instagram, translated from Portuguese, that Rodrigues de Freitas’s death came as a ‘tragedy…due to a lack of attention and responsibility.’
According to the friend, Rodrigues de Freitas was a ‘beautiful’ young woman ‘full of dreams’ and interrupted plans.
‘Her mother said her biggest fear was losing one of them just three days ago… When a mother and a family cry, we all cry together,’ they wrote.
Panobianco Academia, the physical fitness center where Rodrigues de Freitas taught, said: ‘Maria Eduarda left her mark through the dedication, affection, joy and respect with which she treated everyone around her’
Panobianco Academia, the physical fitness center where Rodrigues de Freitas taught, said: ‘Today we said goodbye to a very special person to our Panobianco Silverstone family…Maria Eduarda left her mark through the dedication, affection, joy and respect with which she treated everyone around her.’
‘Your presence illuminated the environments and your memory will remain forever in our hearts,’ they continued.
‘In this moment of deep sorrow, we join together in prayer and solidarity with family, friends, and colleagues, wishing strength and comfort to face this loss.
‘May the good memories, shared moments and the love left by her be a source of peace and comfort. Rest In Peace, Maria Eduarda.’
A later post said that the gym would be suspending its activities ‘as a sign of respect and mourning.’
A person who knew Rodrigues de Freitas said they remembered when she began at the academy, and that she had been ‘super forward with everyone.’
‘Then she became a teacher and paid attention to everyone,’ they said, and offered condolences to her friends and family.
