Two Chil-ling New Details Surface in Fa-t-al Bunge...

Two Chil-ling New Details Surface in Fa-t-al Bungee Jump — Last-Minute Decision and Instructor’s Claim Raise More Questions

New details continue to emerge in the case of Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, the 21-year-old Brazilian woman who died after being thrown from the so-called Skeleton Bridge in Limeira, São Paulo, without a safety rope attached.

This week, investigators and media reports revealed three developments that have intensified scrutiny of the operation behind the fatal jump: a resurfaced video showing one of the instructors jumping from the bridge while carrying a child, testimony from a woman who canceled her own jump just minutes before the tragedy, and statements from the accused instructors claiming they cannot remember who was responsible for securing Maria Eduarda’s safety rope.

One of the most controversial revelations involves a video recorded in 2023 and originally posted on Instagram by Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32, one of the three instructors arrested following Maria Eduarda’s death.

In the footage, Egoroff can be seen standing at the edge of the Skeleton Bridge while holding a child who is clinging to his neck. With a rope in one hand and the child on his shoulders, he runs toward the edge of the abandoned railway bridge and jumps.

The video quickly went viral after Egoroff’s arrest, with many social media users pointing to it as evidence of a culture of recklessness that allegedly existed long before the fatal accident. Other videos reportedly posted by the same group show employees performing stunts and swinging close to the bridge’s concrete pillars while suspended by ropes.

The lawyer representing Egoroff and the two other suspects — 27-year-old Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves and 42-year-old Maicon Fernandes Cintra — has defended the group, saying the instructors had years of experience and had never recorded a fatality before the incident involving Maria Eduarda.

However, according to Brazilian newspaper O Globo, two of the three instructors told police they suffered a “blackout” and could not remember whether the rope had actually been attached before Maria Eduarda was launched from the platform.

Cintra reportedly told investigators that Egoroff is usually the person responsible for attaching the rope in “99 percent of cases.” He said he typically participates in checking helmets and other safety measures but could not recall whether those procedures were completed on the day of the tragedy.

Prosecutors have not accepted those explanations as a defense. All three men have been charged with homicide with implied intent, a Brazilian legal classification used when a person knowingly assumes the risk that their actions could result in someone’s death.

Another detail that surfaced this week involves a woman who was scheduled to jump immediately before Maria Eduarda. According to reports cited by TMZ, the woman decided to cancel her jump moments before the accident because she had a bad feeling about the operation.

Maria Eduarda, however, went ahead with the jump.

Video footage of the fatal moment, widely circulated online and verified by international outlets including the BBC, shows two men wearing white helmets holding her by the arms while a third instructor supports her legs. As she is thrown from the bridge, people can reportedly be heard shouting for the rope to be secured. By then, it was too late.

Separate footage recorded at the same location has also circulated online, showing another participant completing a jump safely with the rope properly attached. The video has been used by some observers to argue that the activity can be performed safely when protocols are followed, while also highlighting the alleged negligence that led to Maria Eduarda’s death.

Meanwhile, officials in Limeira have announced plans to seek legal action against Brazil’s federal government over what they describe as years of inadequate oversight at the site. Mayor Murilo Félix said the area has long presented known safety risks and still lacks sufficient protective measures.

The Civil Police of São Paulo continue to investigate the case.

Following the tragedy, the adventure company Entre Cordas reportedly removed all of its social media accounts from public view.