Head of Brazilian Rope Jump Association responds after woman dies when 'staff forgot to attach safety rope'
The president of the Brazilian Rope Jump Association has commented on the tragic death of a young woman in a horrific rope jump accident.
21-year-old Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas fell to her death on Saturday after staff allegedly didn't attach a safety rope to her before she was thrown off a bridge for the rope jump.
Harrowing footage shows Maria being carried towards a ravine by staff members, who then launch her down a 131-foot drop from the Ponte do Esqueleto, known as Skeleton Bridge, in the city of Limeira, Brazil.
Moments later, voices could be heard shouting: "The rope, people, the rope!"
Advert
Maria, who posted about her jumping adventures on social media hours earlier, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses also told the police the suspects attempted to flee the scene and change their clothes. The suspects deny doing this.
Now, the president of the Brazilian Rope Jump Association, Marco Antonio de Campos Gonçalves Junior, also known as Marco Jota, has commented on the tragedy.
Rope jumping is similar to bungee jumping, except the rope is not elasticated.
Jota, who is also the head of the RopeTrips agency, which organises jumps off Skeleton Bridge - but was not involved with the fatal incident - told AcidadeON that authorisation has never been required to do jumps from the bridge.
He said: "We do a vertical activity, which is not prohibited and does not require authorisation."
Police, however, told G1 that the group Maria jumped with did not have authorisation to jump from Skeleton Bridge.
Jota's agency has cancelled an upcoming jumping event at Skeleton Bridge on July 4, but also insisted he has held multiple events at the location in the presence of military police and municipal civil guards, and that authorisation has never been requested.
Meanwhile, Limeira city hall has said responsibility for the bridge lies exclusively with the federal government - and they've been pushing for the bridge to be inspected and better maintained since last year.
They told O Globo in a statement: "Since the beginning of 2025, the municipal administration had been adopting administrative measures and demanding action from the federal bodies responsible for the area.
"The tragedy this Saturday (13), which resulted in the death of a 21-year-old woman, makes the continuation of this omission unsustainable and unacceptable."
Jota's comments come after police said there were no official companies behind the accident.
Police spokesperson Andréa Dantas told G1: "It's a group of people who met through this sport, who ended up getting together and have been organising these events in various destinations for about a year now."
More regulation needed in the wake of tragedy
It's reported that Jota will visit Limeira City Council on Monday (June 15) to discuss how rope jumping should be regulated at Skeleton Bridge going forward.
He said: “The way forward is to regulate, not to prohibit. It has to be regulated to make it safe for customers and operators."
Jota believes the tragedy was caused by a lack of safety management and a poor standard of operating protocols, with the group rushing to fit in as many jumps, which cost the equivalent of £26.50 each, as possible.
"Let's just throw in more clients to make more money," he said.
Three suspects - Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32, Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves, 27, and Maicon Fernandes Cintra, 42 - were arrested and charged with homicide with implied malice.
That means police don't believe they intended to kill Maria but, due to their actions, they assumed responsibility for the risk of her death.
Timeline of accidents at Brazil's Skeleton Bridge
Ponte do Esqueleto, nicknamed Skeleton Bridge, was meant to be part of Brazil’s Federal Railway Network (RFFSA).
It’s been abandoned for around 30 years. However, it has remained popular with extreme sports enthusiasts, and this isn’t the first tragedy that has taken place there.
According to O Tempo, one businessman claimed the bridge receives 500 visitors a month.
April 2024
Mum-of-one Kelly Stefani de Oliveira Alves, 39, was cycling with her husband on the Skeleton Bridge when she lost her balance when her foot touched a low wall.
Tragically, she toppled off the bridge and fell 15 metres with her bike, dying at the scene and leaving behind a seven-year-old son.
Following the accident, Brazil’s Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services (MGI) asked for the bridge to be closed and for danger signs to warn people not to go on it.
Nevertheless, activities at the site resumed.
August 2025
Two women fall from the Skeleton Bridge and suffer serious injuries.
One woman is taken to Santa Casa de Limeira hospital with critical injuries. Another suffers multiple fractures throughout her body.
Topics: World News, News
Daniel Murphy