The American’s outrageous attempt was caught on video in 1995
The haunting final moments of a stuntman at Niagara Falls was caught on camera by some unsuspecting tourists almost 30 years ago.
Back in 1995, American Robert Overacker attempted an audacious stunt at the iconic tourist attraction which garners thousands of travellers a year and borders Canada and the US.
The 39-year-old was originally from Camarillo, California and aimed to jet ski off the falls to bring attention to the rising problem of homelessness in front of tourists, before using a parachute to land in the river below in one piece.
The stuntman would regret his decision (YouTube/Clay Schmitt)
On 1 October 1995, Overacker put his plan into action, entering the Niagara River, which is near the Canadian Niagara Power Plant.
He started to ski toward the Horseshoe Falls on a lone jet ski in front of thousands of onlookers, and as he got closer to the Falls themselves, he went to activate his rocket-propelled parachute strapped to his back after leaping off the jet-ski down the 51-metre drop.
Terrifyingly, the parachute didn’t discharge as those watching, which included his brother and friend, were terrified at what came next.
As some filmed the stunt, footage didn’t show what happened after the leap of faith, and you’d be forgiven for thinking he made it after watching clips of the bizarre incident.
Robert Overacker sadly died after his parachute failed to deploy (YouTube/Clay Schmitt)
However, it was later suspected that the rapids were throwing Overacker’s body around, appearing as though he was swimming, but this was not the case.
His body was retrieved from the water by the Maid of the Mist staff, and was later pronounced dead at Niagara General Hospital, leaving behind his wife.
The fatal result meant that he had become the 15th person since 1901 to go over Niagara Falls intentionally, either in or on a device.
Following this horror story, you’d think people would steer clear of doing anything similar but there have been six incidents since 1995, with two people dying as a result.
Overacker wasn’t the last person to go over the Falls on purpose (Reddit)
One other notable daredevil following Robert Overacker was Kirk Jones, who intentionally went over the Falls twice.
The first incident was in 2003, when he became the first person to survive the drop with no aid.
He had been drinking with friends before the incident, and was later fined CA $2,300 (£1,280) and banned from Canada for life, though he claimed it was a suicide attempt.
In April 2017, he went again in an inflatable ball, which was seen spinning wildly in the American Falls, with the ball later being recovered by Maid of the Mist, and his body being found near Lake Ontario in Canada, two months later.
Featured Image Credit: Reddit / YouTube / Clay Schmitt
