Two men fled into woodland after realising they had failed to attach a safety rope before throwing a young woman to her death from a bridge in Brazil, as tributes poured in describing her as a “beautiful” graduate “full of dreams” who had shared a haunting final post moments before the jump.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, was seen in disturbing footage circulating online being carried by two workers, one holding her legs and the other her torso as she held a “superman” pose, before being thrown from Skeleton Bridge in Limeira, São Paulo, on Saturday. Although she was wearing a helmet and what appeared to be a harness, she was completely unattached to either the bridge or a bungee cord, and fell around 130 feet to her death. Bystanders can be heard in the footage frantically shouting “the rope, people, the rope” as she was released.
According to O Globo, Brazil’s military police said two men fled the scene once the group atop the bridge realised what had happened. Six people in total were arrested, including the two who had fled into a wooded area and were later located with the help of a helicopter. Three of those arrested at the scene, aged 42, 32 and 27, were charged with homicide with implied malice, according to G1. One of the three is a civilian firefighter. Their legal teams told G1 that the workers were highly experienced and that this was the company’s first fatality in years, though the suspects were reportedly unable to explain why the rope had not been attached or why final safety checks had not been carried out before the jump.
Delegate Andrea Dantas Levy told reporters that the company running the activity “didn’t even have authorization to be there,” adding: “They ended up organizing this event, and, this fatality happened today, in my perception, due to a failure to verify and supervise the placement of the rope on the victim’s jump.”
Just moments before the jump, Rodrigues de Freitas, from Jandira, had posted to Instagram showing off her jump wristbands and the bridge, writing beneath the photo: “Who was the crazy person who let me come jump off a bridge?”
Higor Diniz, a witness who was on the bridge at the time, told EPTV that the scene afterwards was chaotic. “There were a lot of people there – not just a few. There were many people at the site. There were children there too, and they saw it happen,” he said. “Some of the children were only six years old. It was a very intense scene. People panicked. Some who were farther back grabbed their belongings and started leaving.”
Emergency responders pronounced Rodrigues de Freitas dead at the scene, and her body was taken to the Legal Institute for further investigation. A recent graduate in Physical Education and Sports Management, she was known on social media for sharing content about fitness, adventure and the outdoors, according to O Globo.
Tributes have continued to be shared by friends, family and colleagues. One family member wrote on Instagram: “Until now I don’t believe it, I love you so much I’ll never forget you from our jokes, [I’ll] always remember you. I love you so much princess.” A friend, in a post translated from Portuguese, described her death as a “tragedy… due to a lack of attention and responsibility,” adding that she had been “full of dreams” with plans cut short. They wrote: “Her mother said her biggest fear was losing one of them just three days ago… When a mother and a family cry, we all cry together.”
Panobianco Academia, the gym where Rodrigues de Freitas worked as an instructor, paid tribute in a statement: “Today we said goodbye to a very special person to our Panobianco Silverstone family… Maria Eduarda left her mark through the dedication, affection, joy and respect with which she treated everyone around her. Your presence illuminated the environments and your memory will remain forever in our hearts. In this moment of deep sorrow, we join together in prayer and solidarity with family, friends, and colleagues, wishing strength and comfort to face this loss. May the good memories, shared moments and the love left by her be a source of peace and comfort. Rest In Peace, Maria Eduarda.” The gym later announced it would be suspending its activities “as a sign of respect and mourning.” One person who had known her since she joined the academy recalled that she had been “super forward with everyone” before becoming a teacher who “paid attention to everyone.”
