The identity of the man who died in what appeared to be a BASE-jumping accident at a mid-rise building in San Diego's UTC area has been revealed, the county announced Tuesday.
Cardiff resident Eric Roden, 48, was identified as the individual who died last week after jumping from the 23rd floor of the Palisade UTC building at the intersection of Lombard Place and Nobel Drive, according to a county spokesperson. They added Roden had a parachute but it did not deploy.
The incident was reported at about 10:40 p.m. when Roden took the jump as his 16-year-old daughter watched. He was found on the street below the building, according to SDPD Officer David O'Brien.
“The parachute malfunctioned, or he didn’t have enough time to deploy properly in the short amount of time,” said SDPD Cpt. Scott Wahl.
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First responders performed CPR on Roden, but couldn't save him, Officer O'Brien said.
“This incident is such a shame as it was completely avoidable and it’s not just the tragic loss of one life, but this man’s daughter, 16-year-old daughter, no doubt her life is completely devastated,” said Wahl.
Wahl said they do not know the reason why the man decided to jump off the top of the building and said those who try something like this can face a misdemeanor charge.
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“For those that are out there and do these thrill-seeking types of events the impacts of what happens when things don’t go as planned extend far beyond that individual that lost their life,” said Wahl. “Here we have a 16-year-old that witnessed it, she’s never going to forget that moment. Also, first responders witnessed can’t be unseen and witnesses from the apartment complex all saw the aftermath.”
Security guards at the building told NBC 7 BASE jumping has been happening at the building for at least the past month.
BASE jumping consists of parachuting from fixed objects. BASE is an acronym for the categories of objects people leap from: buildings, antennae, spans and earth, such as cliffs.
No other information was available.
