Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, died after a bungee jump from Skeleton Bridge in Limeira, São Paulo, where her instructors allegedly forgot to attach her safety rope. New details from local police say two instructors attempted to run after she was thro
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas didn’t get the bungee-jumping day she was hoping for. Instead, onlookers watched her safety rope allegedly fail to be attached before she was lunged off the Skeleton Bridge in Limeira, São Paulo.
The 21-year-old fell 131 feet to the ground. Emergency medical personnel arrived and she was pronounced dead.
Police later moved quickly after the incident. Six people were taken into custody. Three were said to be handing out wristbands at the event and were later released. The other three were charged with homicide and were identified as 32-year-old Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff. 27-year-old Vitor de Freitas Goncalves. and 42-year-old Maicon Fernandes Cintra.
Maria Eduarda’s fiancé was present at the time and allegedly looked on in horror as she was thrown from the bridge.
The newest account from local police adds a second shock layered onto the tragedy: after the throw. two of the instructors later charged allegedly fled the scene. Police say they noticed the rope wasn’t attached and ran. Those two. the police account says. weren’t arrested until an air search took place. when a military helicopter found them in the woods.
Andréa Dantas Levy. a deputy for local police. said the instructors claimed they had a “blackout” and could not recall whether the rope was attached or where the fault occurred. Levy explained that the instructors told investigators they couldn’t remember “where and when the fault occurred. ” who would have had to put it on. and that the third instructor—who held Maria Eduarda’s legs—said he was “only called in to help with the throw.”.
Judge Paulo Henrique Stahlberg Natal ordered all three instructors to remain in custody. He pointed to the escape attempt, saying their freedom could lead to “the repetition of equally dangerous conduct.” If they are found guilty, police say they could face anywhere from six to 30 years in prison.
One more unanswered piece is tied to what was captured in the moments before the jump. A 360º camera Maria Eduarda appeared to be holding shows up in video leading up to the throw. Police say the possibility of recovering it could matter. because bungee participants were charged a base fee of $36—and an additional $30 for a camera to record the jump. Maria Eduarda is believed to have had one of those cameras. but it has not been recovered. and searchers have been unable to find it at the base of the bridge.
For Maria Eduarda’s family, the case brings not just grief, but an exhausting wait for answers—why the safety rope was allegedly not attached, and how the final moments unfolded.
MISRYOUM extends condolences to Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas’ family as they navigate this unimaginable loss.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas bungee jumping death Skeleton Bridge Limeira São Paulo homicide charges Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff Vitor de Freitas Goncalves Maicon Fernandes Cintra military helicopter search 360 camera