Three extreme-sport instructors charged with manslaughter after fatal bridge jump in São Paulo
Brazilian police have charged three instructors with manslaughter following the death of 21-year-old Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, who was thrown from an abandoned bridge without a safety rope attached.
Brazilian authorities have charged three individuals with manslaughter after a 21-year-old woman died during an unsupervised extreme-sport jump from the abandoned Skeleton Bridge in São Paulo state. The victim, Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, was thrown from a height of about 35 metres while wearing a helmet and harness, but investigators say she was not connected to the rope intended to stop her fall. The rope was later found lying on the bridge near the launch point.
Police said the three men, who operated the jumps independently and charged participants roughly $35 for a jump plus an additional $22 for GoPro video, were arrested after the incident was recorded and circulated online. One instructor, 32-year-old Luis Felipe Feliciano Agorof, told investigators that he and 42-year-old Maicon Fernandes Sintra shared responsibility for attaching the rope, but he could not recall the moment the rope was missed. "I can’t remember," Agorof said during questioning.
A third instructor, 27-year-old Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves, claimed he was only asked to help lift the jumper and denied responsibility for the death. All three face manslaughter charges.
Police chief Andrea Dantas Levy, overseeing the case, said the GoPro camera strapped to the jumper likely fell during the descent and that its whereabouts remain unknown. A witness reported that after the fall, one of the workers approached the body and appeared concerned about the equipment, prompting investigators to consider the possibility that the camera was taken.
The incident occurred on a Saturday, and the victim was buried the following day.