This is the heartbreaking moment when a base jumper’s parachute ruptured in mid-air, pinning him on the edge of a cliff for an hour.
Footage filmed by Johnni DiJulius in Phoenix, Arizona shows him counting down to the BASE jump before he begins skydiving and loses control and hits the edge of the cliff.
His leg bends back and he struggles to regain his balance as he flies down the cliff in an unstable manner.
The terrified thrill-seeker then says, “I shredded my frigging canopy!”
Footage shot by Johnni DiJulius in Phoenix, Arizona shows him counting down to the jump before losing control and hitting the edge of the cliff
In the footage, he glides gently through the air for a while, but then hurtles into another part of the cliff at high speed when his parachute fails.
Using his upper body strength, he holds on tight to the edge and pulls himself up to recover from the traumatic ordeal.
Mr. DiJulius shared the death-defying incident on Instagram on Jan. 31 with the caption: “I was hesitant to show this but luckily I escaped with no injuries.
His leg bends back and he struggles to regain his balance as he flies down the cliff in an unstable manner
“I was the last jumper on a 30-person party load.
“One of the biggest fears is doing a 180 degree turn when your parachute opens. Things like posture, packing job, or wind can cause these.
“After opening, I grabbed my gags but didn’t twist them away in time. When I finally fought it off the wall, I looked up and saw that five of my seven cells had been ripped open.
The terrified thrill-seeker then says, “I shredded my frigging canopy!”
Mr. DiJulius shared the death-defying incident on Instagram on Jan. 31 with the caption, “I was hesitant to show this but luckily I escaped with no injuries.”
“I couldn’t steer and was shocked that it was still flying. I lost too much altitude fighting the wall, and since I couldn’t steer with a torn canopy, I knew I wasn’t going to make it out of the talus.
“I hit the second cliff and got hung. At that point I knew I wasn’t hurt, but I wasn’t sure if anyone had seen me because I had to be the last to leave.
“After clinging to the side of the cliff for about an hour, I finally climbed down and hiked out again.”
He also thanked some of his friends who helped him get out of his scary predicament.
Mr. DiJulius is a base jumper and also a Harvard University volunteer wrestling assistant
It’s not the first time the base jumper has encountered disaster during a jump.
In October 2019, the professional stuntman broke his ankle while base jumping down the 215-foot Taughannock Falls in upstate New York.
When he revealed the incident on Twitter in March 2020, he shocked many of his followers.
They said they felt “anxious” after watching the footage, and another joked, “I think you need an intervention.”
And another wrote: “I knew it and you promised me you would be more careful!!”
He regularly shares snippets of his adventures on social media, which have included skydiving and swimming with sharks
Mr. DiJulius is a base jumper and also a Harvard University volunteer wrestling assistant.
He regularly shares snippets of his adventures on social media, which have included skydiving and swimming with sharks.
One of his more daring stunts was climbing a 300-foot cell tower in 2016.
When he revealed the incident on Twitter in March 2020, he shocked many of his followers. They said they were “anxious” after viewing the footage, and another joked, “I think you need an intervention.”
Mr. DiJulius didn’t wear any harnesses or cables for the stunt, but “free climbing.”
Frightening video footage then showed him hanging from the cellphone mast.
In one heartbreaking moment, he was hanging by just one arm.