A Brazilian bungee jumping team has said it cannot explain how a fatal safety failure occurred after a young woman was launched from a bridge without being attached to a rope.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, died on Saturday after falling from the abandoned Skeleton Bridge in Limeira, in the state of São Paulo. Disturbing footage shared online appears to show the moment she was thrown from the structure.
According to local reports, Freitas, an aspiring physical education teacher, had requested to make the 130-foot jump in “airplane style,” a stunt in which two instructors lift the participant onto their shoulders while the person extends their arms.
The incident prompted an immediate police response. Brazil’s military police told local media that two men left the scene soon after the group realized what had happened. The São Paulo Public Security Secretariat later said six people were brought in for questioning.
Authorities subsequently arrested three men on suspicion of homicide with eventual intent.
Those detained have reportedly told investigators that they experienced a “blackout” during the jump’s preparation and do not remember when the rope was not attached, how the error happened, or who was responsible for securing the equipment.
The trio remanded in custody after appearing before a judge have been named locally as Maicon Fernandes Cintra, 42, Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32, and Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves, 27.
Luis Felipe, who says he earned just £26.50 per jump, told police after his arrest that team members didn’t have set responsibilities during the jumps and equipment checks were carried out ‘jointly.’
Quizzed on who was responsible for the final safety checks for Maria Eduarda’s jump, he told police: ‘I can’t remember.’ Maicon Fernandes Cintra reportedly gave cops the same answer.
Video taken at the scene shows Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, being taken to the edge by the staff before being thrown into the ravine
In an Instagram story, posted at around 7.30am, the woman showed the bridge and the grassland below, along with the caption: ‘Who was the crazy person who let me jump off a bridge?’
Another chilling post captured a road sign with a depiction of a skeleton that read: ‘Danger. Risk of death’
In a third story, Maria showed off her paper wristbands, which branded messages: ‘Welcome aboard the ropes!’, ‘I’m going to fly’, and ‘take off authorised’
But before the fatal jump, Maria had posted a series of social media posts expressing her excitement and nervousness ahead of the jump.
In one of the Instagram stories, posted at around 7.30am, the woman showed the bridge and the grassland below, along with the caption: ‘Who was the crazy person who let me jump off a bridge?’
Another chilling post captured a road sign with a depiction of a skeleton that read: ‘Danger. Risk of death’.
In a third story, Maria showed off her paper wristbands, which branded messages: ‘Welcome aboard the ropes!’, ‘I’m going to fly’, and ‘take off authorised’.
The young woman was seen in the horrific footage of the incident, kitted out in a helmet and harness, but a long pile of rope could be seen unattached on the floor beside instructors from the company ‘Entre Cordas e Ih Voei’.
Three men in white helmets lifted her, one holding her legs and the other her torso, before they walked to the edge of a short platform and threw her over.
In a recording of the deadly incident, bystanders can be heard frantically yelling out, ‘the rope, people, the rope’, as she was released from the grip of the employees.
Three men ‘were arrested for homicide with eventual intent after the death of a 21-year-old woman during an activity on the Skeleton Bridge Trail, in Limeira on Saturday,’ according to a translation of the statement.
Their lawyer, Rafael Gomes dos Santos, claimed overnight: ‘They are in a state of shock. They cannot explain what happened because they have been doing this for years.
‘Nothing like this has ever happened.’
Maria was buried in Sao Paulo on Sunday, with her mother breaking her silence over her daughter’s tragic death in an overnight social media post.
Maria was buried in Sao Paulo on Sunday, with her mother breaking her silence over her daughter’s tragic death in an overnight social media post
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
Hours after her daughter’s funeral took place, the mother said: ‘That damned rope took you away from me forever. My beloved daughter, you are gone, and all that remains here is pain and longing. I will love you forever.’
Limeira Town Hall said it would be taking legal action against the Brazilian government for failing to monitor and regulate access to the old railway bridge.
In April 2024, a 39-year-old woman cyclist died after falling from it. Last August, two women were seriously injured in another accident there.
Limeira’s mayor, Murilo Felix, said: ‘In addition to the circumstances that led to the young woman’s death, it is necessary to establish who is responsible for the lack of access control to a federal area which, for years, has posed known risks and is still without the necessary safety measures.
‘We have been calling for action for months to ensure that the Federal Government assumes its responsibility.
‘Unfortunately, its failure to act has just resulted in yet another tragedy in Limeira.’
