A deadly bungee jump accident in Brazil continues to draw attention after the death of 21-year-old Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, who fell from a bridge without a safety rope. Three instructors were arrested, and the case has now widened amid public anger and new evidence about one of the suspects.
The uproar intensified after an old Instagram video from September 2022 resurfaced. In it, suspect Luis Felipe Feliciano Agorof, 32, and other instructors are seen holding a large black bag and throwing it off the same famous bridge. The bag contained a living person whose legs could be seen moving before the drop, apparently as part of a bungee stunt meant to simulate a murder, but this time with proper safety equipment. The clip had been posted with the title, “This is how you get rid of a body.”
Social media users reacted furiously, tagging the São Paulo police and local prosecutors and demanding punishment for those involved. One commenter wrote, “It was absolutely prophetic, it finally happened. The girl died exactly like the rehearsal they did. There are things you simply should not play with.” Police later confirmed that Agorof, Vitor de Freitas Gonsalves, 27, and Maicon Fernandes Sintra, 42, were moved from a regional prison to another detention facility in São Paulo for their own protection because of the public backlash.
During questioning, all three said they had suffered a “blackout” and could not remember who was supposed to attach the rope. Agorof said he earned 50 reais, about 28 shekels, per jump and claimed responsibilities were not assigned in advance, though he could not explain how Freitas was launched without safety gear. Witness Raphael Goulart said the crew also tried to obstruct the investigation, alleging that after the fall one worker removed the camera from the victim’s neck to hide key evidence. Maria’s mother, Waldania Rodrigues, described the safety rope as a “cursed, damned rope,” as the instructors face manslaughter charges and possible sentences of 6 to 30 years if convicted.
