Rope jump tragedy in the interior of SP: 21-year-old man dies after falling without a rope on Limeira bridge

A shocking fatality marked the morning of last Saturday, June 13, when Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, lost her life in a *rope jump* jump. The young woman was thrown from a height of around 40 meters onto the Ponte do Esqueleto, located on the border between the cities of Limeira and Cordeirópolis, in the interior of São Paulo, without the appropriate safety equipment.

The dramatic moment of the fall was captured on video by people who were at the scene, showing the moment in which the participant was propelled from the platform without having the safety rope connected to her body.

After the incident, the Civil Police arrested three individuals in the act. The Mix Vale portal brings together essential information about this regrettable case below.

Details about the victim Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas

The young Maria Eduarda, aged 21, was born in Jandira, in the state of São Paulo. With a degree in physical education and sports management, she frequently shared her enthusiasm for outdoor activities and being in contact with nature on her social media. A few hours before the tragic event, Maria Eduarda published images of the jump site and her identification bracelets, making a humorous comment: “Who was the crazy person who let me jump off a bridge???”.

Understand how the accident happened on the Skeleton Bridge

Video records that quickly spread across digital platforms show Maria Eduarda being taken by three team members to the edge of the structure. She is then propelled into the void, and shortly after her fall, the desperate screams of “the rope” and “people, the rope” are heard.

The young woman fell from a height of approximately 40 meters, and her death was confirmed at the scene by the Samu and Fire Department rescue teams who responded to the incident.

According to information from the Civil Police, the main protective equipment, which should have been properly attached to the victim’s body to cushion the fall, was completely neglected and remained rolled up on the floor of the jumping platform. A person waiting to jump right after Maria Eduarda testified that those responsible for the activity did not carry out the mandatory safety inspection when it was her turn.

Understanding the practice of *rope jump*

*rope jump*, or “rope jumping”, is an extreme sport where practitioners launch themselves from high points, such as bridges and viaducts, attached to a system of ropes similar to those used in climbing. Unlike the *bungee jump*, which uses an elastic rope and results in multiple vertical swings, the *rope jump* has a controlled stop and a pendulum movement, causing the participant to swing from one side to the other. As it is an intrinsically dangerous activity, specialized companies implement strict safety protocols, including double checking, where more than one instructor must confirm that all equipment is secured before authorizing the jump.

Those responsible for the *rope jump* operation on site

The individuals who appear in the recordings pushing the young woman were wearing t-shirts with the logos of the brands “Entre Cordas” and “Ih Voei”. According to the police investigation, these names correspond to informal groups of enthusiasts of the practice, and not to duly registered companies or officials behind the organization of the event. The suspects formed a group of practitioners of the sport who came together and, approximately a year ago, began promoting events in different locations.

In total, three men were arrested and charged with intentional homicide, characterized when the agent does not directly seek death, but assumes the risk of causing it. Those arrested are Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32 years old; Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves, 27 years old; and Maicon Fernandes Cintra, 42 years old. The classification of possible intent, a legal concept that indicates the assumption of the risk of the result, is often applied in situations of serious negligence in high-risk activities where the lack of essential care creates a high probability of fatal damage, highlighting the seriousness of the security breach in the case.

The failure of the rope in the young woman’s jump

According to witness reports and the Civil Police’s initial conclusions, there was a serious failure in the equipment checking process, resulting in the security system being forgotten to connect to Maria Eduarda’s body. One of the customers waiting for his turn to jump stated that the employees ignored the standard safety check procedure during the victim’s turn. The thick rope, which should have guaranteed the young woman’s containment, remained coiled on the platform floor. In a statement to authorities, the three detained instructors were unable to explain the reason for the error. The delegate in charge of the case reported that they appeared confused, claiming that they did not remember who was responsible for attaching the rope, nor why the final check was not carried out before propelling the victim.

Lack of authorization for activities on site

The police confirmed that the group did not have any type of permission to carry out jumping activities in the Ponte do Esqueleto region. Even without the proper legal authorization to use the space, the activity organized by them that Saturday attracted around 100 participants.

Progress of the investigation and crimes investigated

The three men were arrested in the act and are being investigated by the Civil Police for homicide with possible intent, which occurs when a person, even without direct intention, takes the risk of causing someone’s death. For the delegate responsible for the investigation, by omitting to check the rope, those responsible accepted the risk of a tragic outcome. The police will continue to listen to other witnesses and await the conclusion of the expert reports. As the investigation progresses, the instructors could be formally charged in court and held criminally responsible for the young woman’s death.

What the detained instructors say

The lawyer representing the three defendants stated that his clients are sports enthusiasts, with years of experience in the field, and had never faced any problems. He called the incident a “sad fatality”.

Responsibility for the Skeleton Bridge

The Skeleton Bridge, the scene of the tragedy, is the responsibility of the Federal Government. In a note, the Secretariat of Union Heritage (SPU) informed that it is “available to the authorities to collaborate in the investigations”.

According to information from the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services, the site is part of the real estate assets of the extinct Federal Railway Network (RFFSA) and was categorized as a non-operational asset, under the management of the National Department of Transport Infrastructure (DNIT). The organization detailed in a statement that “the Esqueleto bridge belonged to an unimplemented section of the RFFSA branch between Limeira and Cordeirópolis, located on private properties. The asset transfer to the São Paulo SPU superintendency was completed in March 2026.” Limeira City Hall announced that it intends to sue the Union for failure to act. The municipal administration argues that it had already sent repeated letters to federal agencies, demanding security, maintenance and access control measures to the area, which presented known risks for years, but no action was taken. The long inaction of federal authorities in the face of a public risk site highlights the importance of government responsibility in preventing accidents like the one that occurred.