Three men have been charged with homicide in the rope-jumping death of a woman who plunged more than 130 feet off a bridge in Limeira, Brazil, without being properly secured to any equipment.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32, Vitor de Freitas Goncalves, 27, and Maicon Fernandes Cintra, 42, were arrested Sunday and charged with homicide with eventual intent, local officials said.They were caught “in flagrante,” or attempting to flee, according to police in Limeira, a city in the eastern part of the state of São Paulo.Under Brazilian law, this charge applies to cases in which perpetrators did not intend to kill but engaged in a dangerous act that carried a fatal risk.
They remain in detention.Police investigator Andrea Levy told reporters that the three men are jumping instructors.They acknowledged that Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, was not connected to safety ropes, but said they didn’t remember who was tasked with checking her equipment, The Associated Press reported.
In a statement to Brazilian media, their defense attorney said his clients were in shock.Videos circulating online show Eduarda flying through the air, both arms outstretched, in the moments before her death.The videos show two men hoisting her above their heads and tossing her over the side of a bridge while a third man looks on.
She appears to be wearing a helmet, but no safety cord is visible.The bridge, called Skeleton Bridge, was once part of a railway line that has been defunct for several years, according to local media reports.The Ponte do Esqueleto (Skeleton Bridge) in Sao Paulo, Brazil.Google MapsIt was not immediately clear whether Eduarda had previous rope-jumping experience.
The sport differs from bungee jumping in the type of cord used.Bungee jumping uses elastic cords that cause a person to bounce vertically in the air.
Rope jumping uses climbing ropes that create ...