EDMONTON – An expert in base jumping says the three people who parachuted from a downtown highrise project on Sunday were experienced in urban jumps. The conclusion comes as a security company shares video potentially exposing the trio.
Priority 1 Security has released video it believes shows three people trespassing on the construction site that was used by a trio of daredevils as an urban base jumping location on Sunday evening.
According to the security company, the three men in the video were the only ones to go through the Pearl Tower development Sunday evening.
“You will see three gentlemen walking outside the site along the fence line and then they cut across, jump over the fence, and then we catch them on a different camera coming through the building. So, now we know, we have a verified alarm,” says Greg Kurtz with Priority 1 Security.
The company is releasing the footage – and speaking out – to stop others from attempting this type of thing in the future.
“Hopefully, this will stop anyone else from trying this,” says Kurtz. “It’s a safety issue and any client would be concerned with people doing this.”
“Hopefully if people know we have cameras on site, that’s a deterrent.”
Sometime between 9:15 and 9:45 p.m., three men were spotted parachuting from the building on Jasper Avenue and 119 Street.
Murray Billet was out walking with friends Sunday evening and saw the whole thing.
“A stroll in the lovely promenade in Edmonton last night – pictures tell me it was exactly 9:40 – and we’re strolling along here and all of a sudden, one parachute drops out of the sky, then a second one, and then a third,” he recalls.
“It was clearly planned, well orchestrated, well landed. However, this is the part that scares me, there’s balconies there, they could have got caught up on that, they could have knocked over senior citizens who are always walking along here, or worse yet – get hit by a car, tumbled down onto this thing… it was exciting as it was stupid.”
Jason Laurendeau is a base jumping researcher. He says the downtown Edmonton jump requires the skill and knowledge an amateur jumper wouldn’t have.
“I would be flabbergasted if these three jumpers – if this was even in their first ten or twenty jumps,” he says. “They’ve probably done hundreds of base jumps.”
“To do the kind of jump that these three jumpers did the other day requires a high level of expertise. First, just to have the skill and knowledge base to do a base jump in the first place, and then to do a building in an urban centre, which is a more technical jump because there are more hazards and more things to consider.”
He says most jumps happen in Edmonton during the night hours, when no one is watching.
“It’s going on with some regularity, and certainly with much more regularity than the general public would know about.”
“It’s not the kind of thing that other base jumpers like. Other base jumpers tend to like it when you’re doing your jumps – you’re being thoughtful about when and where you’re doing them and how you’re doing them.”
“Most jumpers are trying not to set the conditions to make particular jumps difficult for other jumpers. So, if they jump these and drew a lot of media attention… that might draw additional security… making it tougher for other jumpers – and there are certainly other jumpers in the area who want to jump that building – I have no doubt.”
Members of the EPS have been warning potential copycats of the dangers involved in a stunt like this.
“Regardless of how well-prepared jumpers believe they are, this is a very dangerous and illegal activity not at all suited for an urban environment,” says EPS Inspector Brian Nowlan.
“The safety of the jumpers and persons on the street has to be considered as everything is over in a matter of seconds. There is the real potential for things to go wrong – with equipment or wind conditions or even traffic on the street – and there is the real possibility of injury and death as well as property damage.”
The security company in this case is hoping the footage will not only deter others, but perhaps convince Sunday’s trio to come forward.
“They probably didn’t know they were on camera so now they might be a little nervous,” says Kurtz. “Hopefully, maybe they’ll turn themselves in. We don’t know.”
Police are still searching for the jumpers. If they’re caught, they could face charges like trespassing, mischief and break-and-enter.
With files from Laurel Clark, Global News
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