Previous Accident at Rope Jump Site Should Have Warned Organizers Before Fatal Fall

Three months before a fatal incident involving a 21-year-old woman, organizers of a clandestine rope jump group in Limeira, São Paulo, witnessed another accident. In March, a nine-year-old boy nearly died due to a malfunction in the rope's braking mechanism, the "Entre Cordas" group's clutch system. This prior event, which occurred shortly after the boy and a seven-year-old girl posed for a video, should have served as a critical warning about the activity's inherent risks. A witness, Luis Gustavo, who was part of the team and jumped simultaneously with the boy, described hearing screams and seeing the child on the ground, indicating a failure in the expected joyful reaction. The boy's father, also working with the group, provided testimony as a witness. Despite this near-tragedy, the activity continued at the same location. On June 13, a second, fatal accident occurred when Maria Eduarda de Freitas, 21, was launched from the bridge without her safety rope. Although she received medical attention, she succumbed to injuries from the fall. Video evidence from her own phone confirmed the absence of the safety equipment. In response, police have indicted four individuals for eventual intent homicide: Evelyne dos Santos, identified as the team leader, along with Vitor de Freitas, Maicon Cintra, and Luis Felipe Egoroff, who were seen throwing the young woman from the structure. The investigation also revealed attempts to conceal evidence in both incidents, including the removal of Maria Eduarda's camera immediately after her fall, as confirmed by witness statements and an audio message from Evelyne demanding the video be deleted. The report concluded that the operation suffered from significant disorganization, lacked adequate area isolation, and involved too many jumps in a short period, increasing the risk of human error. The "Entre Cordas" group operated illegally for over a year without formal registration, and the site, belonging to the Union's Patrimony Secretariat, has since been blocked off.