Days after 21-year-old Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas died during a rope jumping outing in Brazil, three instructors have been arrested and charged. Viral video footage shows her being launched into a 130-foot drop without a safety cord, while investigator
For three instructors, it was a dramatic launch over the void. For Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, it became the last thing she experienced.
The 21-year-old died days after a rope jumping outing at Skeleton Bridge in Brazil. where viral videos captured her being hoisted above their heads before being thrown into a 130-foot drop. The activity had initially been described as bungee jumping. but the videos show a rope on the ground at the Ponte do Esqueleto in Limeira. Brazil—setting the scene for a case now centered on what should have protected her and what didn’t.
Maria was at the bridge on June 13. and the outing was framed as extreme entertainment for tourists visiting the “abandoned bridge.” The Associated Press reported that she was there on Saturday for rope jumping. She also asked to be launched in an “airplane hold. ” a method meant to secure a jumper to a safety rope system that would have the fall convert into a horizontal. pendulum-style swing. Bungee jumping, by contrast, uses elastic rubber cords designed to create a bounce effect.
In the footage, Maria appears to be wearing harnesses, and the instructors are seen holding her aloft. But moments later, two of the men launch her with no safety cord attached, according to investigators. Onlookers quickly reacted after witnessing the throw.
In the moments leading up to her jump, Maria reportedly joked about the leap on Instagram. Her caption, posted with a photo of the jumping area, read: “Who was the crazy person who let me up off a bridge?”
A witness later claimed Maria did not instantly die after hitting the ground. The witness. identified by TMZ as off-duty nurse Rayza Dias. told local media that Maria survived the impact of the 130-foot drop. Dias allegedly found the 21-year-old still conscious and talked to her, trying to reassure her that she’d be okay. Medical professionals later pronounced Maria dead on the scene. The extent of her injuries from the drop has not yet been made public.
The Associated Press said de Freitas was buried in São Paulo, Brazil, on Sunday (June 14).
Arrests came after initial reports of police detaining six people. As of Tuesday (June 16), officials arrested and charged three instructors who worked for the rope jumping company. Their charges include homicide with eventual intent. Brazilian law reportedly allows for that charge when someone did not mean to kill. but was knowingly involved in a dangerous act with a fatal risk.
NBC News identified the jumping instructors as 32-year-old Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff. 27-year-old Vitor de Freitas Goncalves and 42-year-old Maicon Fernandes Cintra. Investigators said the men were arrested “in flagrante,” while attempting to flee the scene. Investigator Andrea Levy said the instructors acknowledged Maria wasn’t attached to any safety ropes. The men also claimed they did not remember who was responsible for checking her equipment.
A defense attorney for the rope jumping instructors said the men remain in shock.
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