On Tuesday night, the father plunged to his death in a parachuting accident from a San Diego high-rise while his teen daughter was watching the horror of the incident, the authorities said.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune report, the 48-year-old man, whose name has not been released died around 10:30 p.m on Tuesday night after BASE jumping in the University City neighborhood.
Capt. Scott Wahl said, “We’re unclear as to whether the parachute malfunctioned or if it just didn’t have enough time to open up properly and deploy.”
“We believe that his daughter was up on the rooftop with him, and was able to view what happened,” he added.
The investigation is still ongoing in order to know what exactly happened. But as of the moment it appears to be a fatal accident involving the extreme sport BASE jumping, in which people leap from a tall fixed object like a bridge or a building, using a parachute to land safely.
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Wahl also told Fox News, “He had planned to deploy a parachute and survive the jump. He’s got a history of doing different types of jumps. Really it’s a tragic event. It’s one that’s absolutely avoidable.”
Authorities also added the man’s teenage daughter was with him and had witnessed the tragic accident.
“This individual had his 16-year-old daughter there, and as a father of four kids, I cannot imagine what she’s going through at this point. No question that she’s never going to forget those final few moments,” Wahl said.
According to the police, BASE jumping is illegal, but what happened to the 48-year-old man may serve as a stronger warning than any criminal penalty.
Wahl said, “There are consequences that are life and death — this is for real. It’s not just a crime to do it. When things don’t go as planned, there are other people who are severely traumatized and impacted.”
The San Diego Union Tribe reported that believe the man jumped from the rooftop. According to Emporis, an online database of skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, Palisade UTC stands at 277 feet tall.
Base jumping has been one of the crimes dealt with by the San Diego officers. In 2018, they captured a man named Nicholas Marinkovic, who prompted “Batman” sightings when he stood upon a crane at 15th and J streets downtown, eventually leaping down uninjured but getting taken into custody.
Sources: Scally and Vagabond, The San Diego Union Tribune, Fox San Diego, NBC News, New York Post
