6 Arrested After Video Captures Bungee Jumper Thrown From ‘Skeleton’ Bridge Without Cord

Six people have been arrested after shocking video footage captured the moment 21-year-old Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas was hurled from Brazil’s notorious “Skeleton Bridge” without her safety rope attached, in a tragedy that has triggered a dramatic helicopter pursuit, homicide charges and nationwide demands for accountability.

Eduarda, a physical-education student from Jandira who aspired to become a PE teacher and had begun modelling, died on June 13 at the abandoned Ponte do Esqueleto in Limeira, São Paulo state. The commercial rope-jump operation run by Entre Cordas and Ih Voei charged thrill-seekers around R$180 per jump on the unregulated federal viaduct.

In chilling multi-angle footage viewed millions of times, three helmeted crew members carry Eduarda to the edge in a “Superman” pose. Helmet secured, she spreads her arms excitedly in the requested “airplane” pose. They launch her 40 metres into the void. The safety rope remains coiled uselessly on the platform. Onlookers scream “Attach the cord!” seconds too late.

Eduarda struck the ground but was still alive. Off-duty nurse Rayza Dias reached her first and performed CPR, pleading, “Nobody dies on my shift.” She succumbed to her injuries at the scene. Hours earlier she had posted a light-hearted Instagram story: “Who was the crazy person who let me jump off a bridge???” The caption now carries haunting weight.

Her mother, Valdenia Rodrigues, later wrote, “That damned rope took you from me forever,” a message that has become a rallying cry. Eduarda was buried on Sunday amid widespread mourning from family, friends and her university community.

Brazilian police responded with urgency. Six individuals linked to the operators were detained. When two suspects fled into nearby woods, officers deployed a helicopter for a dramatic aerial chase, locating and arresting them. During questioning, investigators revealed the crew “can’t remember who should have attached the rope”—a statement that has fuelled public fury.

Three instructors now face homicide charges with dolus eventualis (eventual intent), alleging they foresaw the possibility of death yet accepted the lethal risk through gross negligence. The complete absence of any safety checks visible on camera bolsters the case. This marks at least the third fatality at the unregulated site in recent years.

The tragedy has exposed years of ignored warnings about illegal operations on federal property. Social media demands maximum punishment and stricter regulation of extreme sports. One basic safety step was never taken. The world now watches to see whether Brazilian justice will deliver accountability matching the horror captured on film.