21-year-old Brazilian woman dies in fatal rope jump accident after staff fail to attach safety cord
Consensus Summary
A 21-year-old Brazilian woman, Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, died on June 15, 2026, after two rope jump instructors at Ponte do Esqueleto in Limeira, São Paulo, launched her 40 meters into the air without attaching her safety harness. Witnesses shouted warnings as she fell, and footage shows the safety line lying unused on the platform. Three instructors were arrested on homicide-related charges, with police investigating whether negligence or intentional recklessness caused her death. The operators, Entre Cordas and Ih Voei, were unlicensed at the abandoned federal bridge, which local authorities had flagged as unsafe for years. Freitas had posted excitedly about the jump hours earlier, and her fiance witnessed the fatal incident. Investigations continue into the company’s lack of regulation and the bridge’s access controls.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, died after being launched from Ponte do Esqueleto (Skeleton Bridge) in Limeira, São Paulo, Brazil, on June 15, 2026, in a 40-meter fall without a safety rope attached.
- Two instructors hoisted Freitas horizontally by her arms and legs before launching her in a 'Superman' pose, with witnesses shouting 'The rope, people, the rope!' as she fell.
- Three men were arrested on suspicion of homicide (or 'homicide with dolus eventualis'—knowing exposure to fatal risk) by Brazilian police, with six people taken to Limeira’s 2nd Police District for questioning.
- The rope jump operator, Entre Cordas, and linked instructor brand Ih Voei, were operating without proper authorization at the abandoned federal railway bridge, which has been a known risk site for years.
- Freitas posted excitedly about the trip on Instagram hours before the incident, sharing photos of the venue and operators.
- Rope jumping differs from bungee jumping by using non-elastic ropes, resulting in a horizontal swing rather than a vertical bounce.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Footage shows a safety line lying on the platform after the fall, and two people tried to flee into nearby woodland but were captured with a police helicopter.
- Mayor Murilo Félix stated the municipality had raised concerns with the federal government since last year about access control to the bridge.
- Entre Cordas’s Instagram page, which advertised 'a jump to the extraordinary,' was reportedly taken down after the tragedy.
- Freitas aspired to become a physical education teacher and requested to be launched 'airplane style' with arms spread out.
- Police have initiated an investigation that *could* lead to murder charges (though not explicitly confirmed as filed).
- Defense lawyers for the arrested men claimed the instructors were experienced and that this was the first fatal incident involving the company in years.
- The arrest charge explicitly includes 'dolus eventualis,' meaning the men were aware of the risk of death but proceeded anyway.
- Freitas posted an Instagram image before the jump captioned: 'Who was the crazy person who let me come jump off a bridge???'
- Mention of American Dan Osman, considered the inventor of rope jumping, who died in 1998 at age 35.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The ABC states three men were arrested for 'homicide with dolus eventualis,' while THEAGE and SMH describe arrests on 'suspicion of homicide' without specifying the legal charge.
- THEAGE and SMH mention six people were taken to police for questioning, but ABC does not specify a total number beyond the three arrests.
- THEAGE and SMH describe the operators as 'unregulated' and 'without proper permission,' while ABC does not explicitly state whether authorization was denied or only questioned.
Source Articles
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