21-year-old Brazilian woman dies in fatal rope jump accident after safety cord not attached
Consensus Summary
A 21-year-old Brazilian woman, Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, died on June 14, 2026, after falling 40 meters from an abandoned railway bridge in Limeira, São Paulo, during a rope jump. Footage shows staff from the Entre Cordas operator launched her without attaching a safety rope, despite witnesses shouting warnings. Three men were arrested for homicide with dolus eventualis, indicating they knowingly exposed her to fatal risk. Police confirmed the group was operating without authorization, and investigations are ongoing. Rodrigues de Freitas had posted excitedly about the jump on Instagram hours before the incident, which occurred at the Ponte do Esqueleto, a federal property with known safety risks. Local authorities and the mayor have criticized the federal government for failing to prevent unauthorized access to the dangerous site.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, a 21-year-old woman, died after falling 40 meters from Ponte do Esqueleto (Skeleton Bridge) in Limeira, São Paulo, Brazil, during a rope jump on June 14, 2026.
- Three men were arrested on suspicion of homicide with dolus eventualis (knowingly exposing the victim to fatal risk) following the incident.
- Footage shows two staff members launched Rodrigues de Freitas without a safety rope attached, with witnesses shouting 'The rope, people, the rope!' before her fall.
- The incident involved the Entre Cordas bungee/rope-jump operator, which was operating without proper authorization at the abandoned federal railway bridge.
- Rodrigues de Freitas posted excitedly about the jump on Instagram hours before the accident, including photos of the venue and operators.
- Police are investigating whether negligence or intentional misconduct led to the death, with six people taken to the 2nd Police District in Limeira for questioning.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The victim’s fiancé witnessed the incident and was overwhelmed by shock at the scene.
- Two people tried to flee into nearby woodland after the fall but were captured with the help of a police helicopter.
- Andrea Dantas Levy, a civil police delegate, stated the bungee group was operating without proper permission and lacked authorization to be at the site.
- The Entre Cordas Instagram page, which advertised 'a jump to the extraordinary,' was reportedly taken down after the tragedy.
- Mayor Murilo Félix criticized the federal government for inaction, calling the lack of access control to the federal area 'unsustainable and unacceptable.'
- The Ponte do Esqueleto bridge belongs to Brazil’s former federal railway network and is in the process of being transferred into federal property.
- The incident was described as 'homicide with dolus eventualis,' meaning the operators were aware of the risk of death but proceeded anyway.
- Previous videos of the extreme sport at the bridge show participants with a thick safety cord around their waists as they were launched off.
- Rodrigues de Freitas posted an Instagram image of the site captioned: 'Who was the crazy person who let me come jump off a bridge???'
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The SMH states six people were taken to the police station, while the ABC does not specify the total number questioned.
Source Articles
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