An adventurer who jumped from the same bridge just hours before 21-year-old Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas lost her life has claimed organisers appeared to be under pressure to move participants through quickly after weather delays, raising fresh questions about what happened in the moments before the fatal incident.
Maria Eduarda died after falling approximately 130 feet from the abandoned Skeleton Bridge in Limeira, São Paulo state, during what was meant to be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
Investigators are now examining whether critical safety procedures were properly followed, while a missing GoPro camera that she carried before the jump has become one of the most important pieces of evidence in the case.
According to local reports, Maria Eduarda had chosen an “airplane-style” jump, standing with her arms outstretched while balanced on the shoulders of two instructors before being released.
The aspiring physical education teacher reportedly paid for both the jump and an additional 360-degree GoPro recording package, with the camera visible in her hand shortly before the leap.
Now another participant has come forward claiming the atmosphere at the site changed dramatically as organisers worked through a long line of thrill-seekers delayed by earlier rain.
The man, identified only as Emanuel, said he was the second of 93 people scheduled to jump that day.
Speaking to Brazilian influencer Diego Schueng, Emanuel shared footage of his own successful jump, showing the bungee cord securely attached before he stepped from the bridge.
The contrast with footage recorded during Maria Eduarda’s jump has drawn widespread attention, with what appears to be the cord remaining on the bridge behind her instead of attached before the launch.
Emanuel said that when he first arrived, everything appeared professional and organised.
He recalled feeling reᴀssured by the equipment, the briefings, and the communication provided by staff before his jump.
But as the day continued and the number of waiting participants increased, he believes standards declined.
“It was a very atypical day,” he reportedly said.
“There had been rain, delays, and many people waiting to jump. In my perception as a participant, the organisation left a lot to be desired.”
He added that while nothing could excuse what happened, he believed there had been a lack of professionalism that completely changed his view of the experience.
Meanwhile, the GoPro camera Maria Eduarda was carrying has still not been recovered.
Police believe the device could provide vital evidence by showing instructions given before the jump and documenting exactly what occurred during her final moments.
Another witness has claimed he saw a staff member remove the camera shortly after the incident.
Rafael Goulard, who was waiting in line to jump, told Brazilian media he remembered seeing an employee detach the GoPro while Maria Eduarda was already lying on the ground.
He said he could not determine whether the action was intended to preserve expensive equipment or for another reason, but investigators are now examining the camera’s disappearance as part of the inquiry.
According to the witness, staff members appeared overwhelmed and did not immediately address the waiting participants after the incident unfolded.
The tragedy also left Maria Eduarda’s fiancé requiring medical attention after witnessing what happened.
A nurse visiting the location as a tourist later described rushing down a steep embankment in an effort to ᴀssist the young woman.
She said she found faint signs of life and attempted to keep Maria Eduarda responsive while waiting for emergency crews, but despite those efforts, she was pronounced ᴅᴇᴀᴅ at the scene.
Following the incident, two men reportedly left the area before later being located with ᴀssistance from police helicopters.
Six individuals were questioned by investigators, while three men—Maicon Fernandes Cintra, 42, Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32, and Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves, 27—were remanded in custody as authorities investigate allegations involving homicide with dolo eventual, a Brazilian legal concept alleging conscious acceptance of a fatal risk.
Investigators say those questioned struggled to explain who was responsible for securing the equipment or conducting the final safety inspection before participants jumped.
One instructor reportedly acknowledged there was no fixed division of responsibilities, describing a system in which different team members performed checks without a clearly ᴀssigned final verifier.
When asked who attached Maria Eduarda’s equipment or completed the last inspection before her jump, he reportedly said he could not remember.
Authorities continue investigating whether procedural failures contributed to the tragedy.
The companies linked to the operation, Entre Cordas and instructor brand Lh Voei, have also come under scrutiny.
Entre Cordas’ social media page, which promoted the experience as “a jump to the extraordinary,” was reportedly taken offline after the incident.
Adding another heartbreaking dimension to the story are Maria Eduarda’s final social media posts.
Hours before arriving at the bridge, she shared a smiling pH๏τograph beside an Entre Cordas banner with the caption, “Who is the crazy person who let me jump off a bridge?”
Another image showed a roadside warning sign featuring a skeleton illustration beside the words, “Danger. Risk of death.”
Those posts, intended as lighthearted moments before an adventure, are now being shared widely online as investigators continue working to establish exactly what happened during the final seconds before the jump.