Witnesses said Maria Eduarda was escorted onto the platform by two men before being released over the edge. However, moments later, bystanders realized she was not wearing the required safety equipment and began shouting in panic.
Videos shared online showed the safety rope tangled on the ground rather than connected to the victim’s harness. Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene, but the young woman was pronounced dead at the site of the accident.
According to witness statements provided to the Military Police, the bungy instructors overseeing the jump failed to secure the safety cord before the launch. Investigators are examining the circumstances surrounding the incident and whether safety protocols were breached.
Bungee ‘instructor’s’ chilling 3-word claim when caught by police
Authorities have launched an investigation into the fatal accident. However, at first, it seemed as if the responsible parties didn’t want to cooperate.
Per The Sun, some who were said to be responsible for the horrifying tragedy reportedly fled the scene into a nearby woodland. However, police later located at least two individuals after a helicopter search of nearby woodland areas. They were arrested soon afterward at the Ponte do Esqueleto trail.
One person arrested, named Luis Felipe, told local police that he and the instructors were paid around $34 per jump. He stated that they didn’t have any set responsibilities when people were jumping, and that equipment checks were carried out jointly.
Moreover, when asked about who was responsible for the final safety check before 21-year-old Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas jumped, he told police, “I can’t remember.”
Six people arrested after woman was thrown to her death without safety rope
One organizer, Luis Felipe, who said he earned around $34 per per jump, told local police that the team members didn’t have any set responsibilities during the jump. Moreover, equipment checks were carried out “jointly.”
Another suspect, named Maicon Fernandes Cintra, reportedly gave police the same answer. Per People Magazine, a total of six people have been brought in for questioning in connection with de Freitas’ fatal fall, a representative for the São Paulo government confirmed.
Three men aged 27, 32, and 42 were arrested at the scene and charged with homicide with implied malice.
“It was a team there that wasn’t regulated; they didn’t even have authorization to be there,” Delegate Andrea Dantas Levy told G1, per People. “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.”