Police in China arrested a 23-year-old man, surnamed Ren, after he performed an unauthorized parachute stunt intended to generate social media engagement. Although Ren claimed to be an experienced skydiver, investigators determined he lacked professional training and credentials.

He climbed onto the rooftop of the residential building in Chengdu’s Chenghua district to perform the stunt. The incident happened on 30 June around 11 p.m. local time while most of the residents were sleeping.

While performing the parachute stunt, Ren was gliding close to apartment balconies, building walls, and trees. He put everyone’s safety at risk, including his own. The police called this stunt an endangerment to public safety in an attempt to get online fame.

 

He posted the video of his stunt on his Douyin account with 60,000 followers and gained everyone’s attention. Popular as “Parachute Coach Kakaxi,” he had another parachute video from a residential building dating back to May 2024. Apart from netizens, he caught the attention of authorities, which didn’t work out in his favor.

Police revealed that Ren told them he was a skydiving instructor; however, he was not professionally trained. Ren did not have a coaching license even though he had some experience. The authorities put him under administrative detention for 15 days. Moreover, authorities removed his social media account and issued a permanent social media ban.

“Ren’s behaviour had seriously disturbed public order and endangered public safety.”

— Chenghua District Police Authority, Sichuan Province, Amp.scmp

The Chenghua branch of the Chengdu Public Security Bureau released a statement that Ren had disrupted public order while risking others. They also notified other official departments about such unauthorized stunts and activities in areas with a huge population.

Even when someone is professionally trained, they need to obtain official permission to skydive from public buildings and bridges. Such activities can increase the risk of accidents and compromise public safety. They should only be performed in designated areas and under professional supervision. In this case, social media validation was not worth risking the lives of himself and others with this stunt. No one was reported injured after the incident, while the authorities remain vigilant.

Another downside of sharing such content online is that people may be influenced to put themselves at risk. There have been several online trends that have caused accidents. In another incident from June, a man was reportedly arrested for driving at a speed of 152 km/hr on an expressway. He also filmed the stunt on his phone to share on his socials later on.

Disclaimer: Inquisitr could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available.