Basejumper.com - archive

So many things wrong with this story!

http://www.baynews9.com/...2007/3/9/229672.html

Two men are legal hot water after police say one of them jumped off a high rise building in downtown Tampa early Tuesday.

According to Tampa police, two men climbed up 33 floors inside the Skypoint Condominiums, which are under construction downtown.

Police say 43-year old William Stroup, also known as "Wild Bill," parachuted more than 400-feet from the building while 32-year-old Brian Barbarossa, who's known as "Potato," videotaped the incident.

Detectives said a motorist called 911 after a parachute went over the top of his car and landed in a empty lot.

More Information
Watch as William Stroup allegedly jumps from a Tampa condo
E-mail the TV reporter for this story, Summer Smith
"He claims to be a professional skydiver and says this is his 900th jump and this is his second BASE jump," Detective Greg Stout, of the Tampa Police Department said of Stroup. "He told us previously he jumped off a high antenna out of Polk County."

Stroup and Barbarossa told detectives they're skydivers and occasional BASE jumpers who have been training in Zephyrhills. Tampa police said they may not have been the first to jump in downtown Tampa.

"From conversation and video itself it seems like other people have done this before off of this same building," Stout said.


Police say Brian Barbarossa taped the jump.
Barbarossa is charged with felony trespassing and charges are pending against Stroup.

BASE jumping gets its name from where people perform the jumps--from Buildings, Antennas, Spans (a bridge, arch or dome) or a cliff or other natural formation on the Earth.

Police warned other potential BASE jumpers that they're watching and plan to punish anyone caught in the act.
__________________________________________________

Why the fuck you tryin' to burn one of the only good objects we have here in Polk??
Rule #1 - Shut the Fuck Up....
Rule #2 - See rule #1

Is that potato head from the ranch??????

agreed, sht yo mouths....

occasional base jumpers? (shoudl have said it was a one time thing or nothign at all)
training at zhills? WTF!

Are people really doing their second BASE jump from a building? I would say that he might be lying, except that he gave details on his first jump.

You would think he would either say it was his first, or not say anything at all if he had multiple jumps.

These guys must have been slow, or the cops really fast.

I wonder how 'early' it was.

Edited to add:

What do people on here think about the effects of starting posts like this. Does it further/worsen the effects of the burnt object by bringing it more into the public eye? OR, Is it necessary, so that other jumpers will know not to jump this object again, as it is hot? Does one out weigh the other?

Just got me wondering. Anyone have any thoughts?

 
Wow, such talented arsonists are rare, they're very skilled at burning! It's amazing, what a job.

I don't think it would usually be necessasry if you applied the "call the local rule."

thats potato head

I'm betting the guy who video'd the jump walked down. the jumper (or the cops) probably sat waiting for him.


watching the video, I'd say it was night time. the lack of traffic also is a clue.


would you prefer ONLY tales of success? give the readers of this forum a distorted perception of the possibilities?

I'm guessing here, but if they did NOT have a camera up top, maybe they would NOT have been caught?

maybe people will be more careful regarding who they take to sites. we ought not take canaries...

Here is another article about this incident.
http://www.sptimes.com/...aratroopers_fo.shtml

When you act suspicious, people get suspicious.

The article makes it sounds like the guy who called the police was initially concerned about the jumper's safety, and called the police only after the guy responded suspiciously.

such rampant speculation from so many not involved.

i think that maybe blah blah blah.

If it is true that they had a camera person at exit, on a building, they deserve to be in jail...

Granted I know that the press is normally wrong... So I'm hoping that I read it wrong.

After graduating from FJC, people like this should attend "High Profile 101 - The Do's and Don'ts"...

open your mind.
make this a learning opportunity.

as we think through various scenarios and plan our actions accordingly, we become better jumpers. we can increase our chances of success. what you call speculation, I would call risk management.

the previous "speculation" may or may not be fact. that does not make it a less illustrative lesson. we should not be sloppy jumpers.

besides, those who know the real facts should NOT post. let law enforcement sort it out themselves.

Is this the statute they were charged with? I trimmed out some of the statute included here and upcased the interesting parts. The last line is upper case in the statute. This is not legal advice. I hope their lawyers actually read the statute.


810.011 Definitions.--As used in this chapter:
(1) "STRUCTURE" means a building of any kind, either temporary or permanent, WHICH HAS A ROOF OVER IT, together with the curtilage thereof. However, during the time of a state of emergency declared by executive order or proclamation of the Governor under chapter 252 and within the area covered by such executive order or proclamation and for purposes of ss. 810.02 and 810.08 only, the term means a building of any kind or such portions or remnants thereof as exist at the original site, regardless of absence of a wall or roof.
(5)(a) "POSTED land" is that land upon which SIGNS ARE PLACED not more than 500 feet apart along, and at each corner of, the boundaries of the land, upon which SIGNS there appears prominently, in letters of not less than 2 inches in height, the words "no trespassing" and in addition thereto the name of the owner, lessee, or occupant of said land. Said signs shall be placed along the boundary line of posted land in a manner and in such position as to be clearly noticeable from outside the boundary line.

810.09 Trespass on property OTHER THAN STRUCTURE or conveyance.--
(1)(a) A person who, without being authorized, licensed, or invited, willfully enters upon or remains in any property OTHER THAN A STRUCTURE or conveyance:
1. As to which notice against entering or remaining is given, either by actual communication to the offender or by posting, fencing, or cultivation as described in s. 810.011; or
2. If the property is the unenclosed curtilage of a dwelling and the offender enters or remains with the intent to commit an offense thereon, other than the offense of trespass, commits the offense of trespass on property other than a structure or conveyance.
(b) As used in this section, the term "unenclosed curtilage" means the unenclosed land or grounds, and any outbuildings, that are directly and intimately adjacent to and connected with the dwelling and necessary, convenient, and habitually used in connection with that dwelling.
(2)(a) Except as provided in this subsection, trespass on property other than a structure or conveyance is a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
(b) If the offender defies an order to leave, personally communicated to the offender by the owner of the premises or by an authorized person, or if the offender willfully opens any door, fence, or gate or does any act that exposes animals, crops, or other property to waste, destruction, or freedom; unlawfully dumps litter on property; or trespasses on property other than a structure or conveyance, the offender commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
(c) If the offender is armed with a firearm or other dangerous weapon during the commission of the offense of trespass on property other than a structure or conveyance, he or she is guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. Any owner or person authorized by the owner may, for prosecution purposes, take into custody and detain, in a reasonable manner, for a reasonable length of time, any person when he or she reasonably believes that a violation of this paragraph has been or is being committed, and that the person to be taken into custody and detained has committed or is committing the violation. If a person is taken into custody, a law enforcement officer shall be called as soon as is practicable after the person has been taken into custody. The taking into custody and detention in compliance with the requirements of this paragraph does not result in criminal or civil liability for false arrest, false imprisonment, or unlawful detention.
(d) The offender commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084, if the property trespassed is a construction site that is legally posted and identified in substantially the following manner: "THIS AREA IS A DESIGNATED CONSTRUCTION SITE, AND ANYONE WHO TRESPASSES ON THIS PROPERTY COMMITS A FELONY."

The one who shot himself with a potato gun to his head with a motorcyclehelmet on from one foot away which split the helmet? Its on video.

Thanks god he was here to do his part to save the US...

Thank you captain america

but on the other hand the jumper could have used some people skills, told him what he did and Glumm might have went on his merry way...

if patotoehead jumped they would not have gotten cought
bad patata
bad patata
and whats with a pca from 400 feet
patatoe does look good in those pics though

can any of u guys guess why we call him potatoe head

Did they test this guy for LSD or E usage??

"Urban Paratrooper" It was in the title of one of the news stories.

Cheers to whoever coined that term...I fucking love it!!!

Reads like if they had been slightly more cordial to the spectator, there would have been no issues. Lets face it, there are very limited possibilities to assume why someone would be parachuting into a city in the middle of the night:

1. Aircraft emergency
2. Smuggling(this was Florida you know and not everyone is cool with illegal immigration or blow)
3. BASE

And it sounds like BASE never crossed the dudes mind.

I love illegal immigrants with blow that base jump.



what the fuck tater.....? thought you could BS better than that, never admit a thing.

None of us locals are shocked by this arrest. Good ole potato has a habit of taking people out and PCAing them for their first or second jump off of our local A's. He got someone arrested last year by saying he knew the people that owned the tower and land. They went day blazing and got BUSTED. So NO doubt it was this guys second jump. Yes good ole potato lent this guy his ragged out gear to PCA him. So the jumper had to wait for him to climb down. I am just glad he is a professional BASE jumper. We thought he was going to stay in NY and be a curse on your objects but the warm winters and J Gates funeral brought him back to all of our dismay. Funny here in Florida its a federal offense trespassing on a construction site so this could get a bit ugly for him. Some people never learn. NY please take him back we beg you!!!!!

we would love to have him back
but he says its a pian im the neck to live here somrthing about several warents

while the jumpers are morons, the witness had a good point to think that they were out of airplanes. i mean, where else do parachutes come from? and 'dont tell anyone you saw us'? ? ?

thats Nazi invasion right there.
morons.

The East coast John Agnos maybe?

They even look alike.

I've jumped w/ tater before........ he is actually a decent jumper on all objects that i've been on w/him. little balsy.... but aren't we all? True sportsman to the end


hey towerrat..... go fuck your self...... tater has heart

it's funny that everyone who has made supportive posts for Potatohead in this thread have all been busted too

coincidence? I think not...

That's a personal attack. Consider this your one warning.

Maybe you missed it in his post, but tater PCAed him on his 1st jump. Then, I suppose some people convinced him that tater's training methods for new jumpers was a bit sketchy.

Another article Clickon the Videos link in related items.

Barefoot for better grip

Isn't it a violation of a suspect's rights to have police evidence turned over to the media before a trial??

Maybe because they do a lot more buildings than most?.... i don't know. If you stick to legal bridges, remote antennas and cliffs, you're significantly less likely to have run-ins with the law.

I'd say you're on decidely dodgy grounds implying ethics is directly related to busts. It isn't. It's related to the type of object and that objects proximity to other people. If you live and jump actively in a city, you'll get busted a lot more than your rural counterpart, regardless of who has the better ethics.

As for potato guy. No comment.

ian

Exactly ...

one of three things will happen when we do these less than legal jumps and two of the three things have very negative impacts on the sport.

1) You get busted and generate negative (all too often national) media exposure.

2) You die or hurt yourself and generate negative (all too often national) media exposure.

3) You're successful and live to jump another day.

The problem with #3 is that it encourages more jumping which could result in #1 or #2. This could happen to anyone who jumps less than legal objects, so before people go off on their "slam-fests" of the two accused individuals, just remember that it too can happen to you.

They're both related. It's not either or.

If you jump in the city a lot, you are more likely to get busted.

If you are careless about your jumps, you are more likely to get busted.


If both, then you are even more likely to get busted.


One bust is easy enough to chalk up to accident. Two or three? I'm not sure how many busts it takes before you start saying that a pattern of behavior is leading to predictable outcomes.

What's that old saying from the military? "Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action" ?

Spot on, Tom....

They're both related. It's not either or.

If you jump in the city a lot, you are more likely to get busted.

If you are careless about your jumps, you are more likely to get busted.

If both, then you are even more likely to get busted.
Fair point. But getting busted does not mean you lack ethics.

I've been busted 7 times so far which I guess ranks me up there with Ted Bundy for run-ins with the law. Every single one of them was avoidable I must admit, had i not jumped. But had i not jumped, I wouldn't really consider myself to be a BASE jumper...more of a BASE talker, and wow, does the world need a few less of them.

I think the more important question is, were any of them avoidable if you had been more careful?

I've been on one and a half busts with you mate and we both knew and accepted there was a high bust factor in order to make those jumps, so you got to know I broadly agree with you; I'm definitely not having a dig.

But is it really necessary to do high bust factor jumps *all* the time in order to be a BASE jumper? Your ethics and ninja skills are exemplary, but you seem to routinely choose objects with so much security that even when you comfortably get away the police are involved.

Even though you're not usually caught and perhaps there is no official policy, "BASE jumpers" are no longer a whacky and amusing one off story around the local nick any more?

If jumpers are being pressed to accept significant warnings/charges from the police, rather than a friendly and slightly bemused chat you'd get only a couple of years ago, you might argue that these things are related.

I know that dealing with security is a significant part of the challenge for you (and a tedious job for me) and I really do value your thoughts on this.

All I can say is thank fuck most of them don't have guns in the UK; at the moment.

Were any of them day jumps?.....NO

Were any of them busts prior to jumping?.....NO

Was i whooping and hollering under canopy?.....NO

Did i nonchalantly pick up my canopy and stroll away without a care in the world.....NO

Can i think of any way i could have reduced my chances of getting busted apart from by not jumping?....NO.

The funny thing about BASE jumping is that no matter how stealthy you are getting ontop of a building, try explaining that to a 305 square foot slider down canopy on opening. I've talked to it, explained the need to be quiet but it just won't play ball. Every time......BANG....LOOK AT ME.

Oh and i'm not talking about some high rise on the edge of sleepyville, I'm talking about jumping in London, or Barcelona or Kuala Lumpur city centres. Places which tend not to be dead at 4 in the morning.

The fact is....most of these jumps you have 2 options. Jump and risk being busted or don't jump. Like i said, i'm a BASE jumper so i jump, strange as that may seem.

Fair enough. I just thought that 7 seemed like a pretty high number, if you were being as careful as possible. I guess you are just jumping higher profile sites.

Much legal problems from all those busts?

We all push our limits in different ways my friend. Some people do complex aerials, some people do complex unpacked jumps, some people fly as close to the wall as they can, some people strap wingsuits on their arms and inhibit their movement just to improve flight performance. Every one of the above increases the risk of injury and death, and consequently the risk of negative publicity for BASE as a sport.

Me, i keep my jumping simple in many ways, but i push my limits in others. You're right, a huge percentage of my jumps would fall into the 'high bust' category. I make absolutely no apologies whatsoever for that either. It's how i push my limits in the 'sport'

Is it necessary you asked? No but then neither are double gainers, roll overs, tard overs, wingsuits or proximity flights, and all of them carry additional risks of negative consequences to BASE.

Utterly disagree. In the UK (that's worth making the distinction here) I have never found the Police to be anything but reasonable and understanding about what we do. In fact i'd go further and say most are pretty impressed with how we go about our jumps and how we conduct ourselves when caught.

As someone who has had a good few run-ins with the police, and therefore more experience with how they view us 'on the front line' than most, I can honestly say, the few hours here and there we spend in their company is probably some of the best PR work we could do for bandit BASE. They are often taken aback by how calm and rational and polite and helpful we are, and i have never once felt they walked away with a more negative view of us. Not once.

Consequently from the 7 busts i have to date, the worst thing to happen was that 50note on the spot fine for trespass on a railway and the caution for carrying false id, both of which were issued with much embarassment by the Police because they had to follow protocol but really knew how petty it all was.

I have seen no evidence whatsoever, that BASE is becoming less and less tolerated by the Polce in the UK. In fact judging by the stats, the only attempted prosecution i know of was DT's after his bridge bust many moons ago and even then the Police had to pay him compensation for unlawful arrest and seizure of his gear.

The UK is not the USA. It's very important we remember that and as long as it stays that way, i do not feel the need to adopt that default paranoia which sadly my US counterparts are forced to.

Amen.

The best thing you can do when seen by anybody, be it police or the guy walking his dog late at night, is to show that you are a friendly, polite, intelligent and productive member of society with just another hobby.

I've always managed to send people home with an improved opinion on BASE because they quickly see I'm not some criminally insane yahoo who swears and screams all the time.

Remember, these people come home to friends and families and the first thing they say is: "you can't believe what I just saw..."

just tell them u jumped from a prison tranport air caft
just like in CONAIR THAT movie was so cool rember when ave sapel set the induain on fire that ruled

PATATOEHEAD IS A SPORTSMAN TO THE END

is this the potato head that landed a mr. bill at the ranch back in 99 or so?

and landed in the prison in 98 or so?

I live on the west coast and know potato head. I have seen him jump as well, so therefore you destroy your argument right there "towerrat."

Very much so, Yes.

I worry about getting busted as much as all the other "negative aspects", so I tend towards being a bit too paranoid; subsequently jumping less, which is not ideal.

I stressed that I wasn't having a dig and I meant it: I value your thoughts and experience in these matters and I knew you'd give it the response it required.

No mate

That's not what i meant. Curse of the missing comma?

That should have read " 'is it necessary?' you asked"

not "is it necessary you ask(ed)?"

sorry. my poor punctuation.

The only incorrect thing tower said was "The worst part is that I don't know anyone who has actually seen you jump." Tater seems to be a nice guy, jumps alot and has skill. However, makes horrible decisions when it comes to taking first time jumper to sites not to mention pissing just about everyone off at the DZ getting grounded and all the local BASE jumpers. I hope that he gets off and does not end up in much trouble but the decision to lend someone your gear to PCA him on his second BASE jump ever in an urban environment and have him wait while you climb down is just not smart. Your begging to get busted. Like I said I hope he gets off it being a federal offense in FL is ridiculous. Good luck to him

WTF. Why did Potatoman (or even the other guy) not organize a 2nd set of gear and jump this sweet building himself? It can't be that hard to get another rig from somewhere...

Perhaps he was unable to borrow a rig from one of the other locals? It seems from the postings here that he's not unusually popular with the jumpers in that area.

Another, not too related, thought: I know that Potatohead has the "Death Rig" (converted Javelin) that I've seen him jump. I'm assuming that he (wisely) decided that rig wasn't appropriate for this jump, and lent his 'A' gear to the other jumper, deciding to walk off rather than jump the "Death Rig" himself.

Do you realize that a 16 year old Al Queda sympathizer flew a small plane into one of the buildings in that area? The kid was killed. I think it was St. Pete but it may have been Tampa. The plane did not badly damage the building, but it did make the local authorities quite paranoid regarding attacks.

I am all about ensureing our saftey, but not at the expense of the freedom me and my comrades fight for. We should not live scared.

I know but the local authorities don't see it that way. I see no way to change the minds of city 1000 miles away from where I live.

Tom you are correct none of the locals would let him barrow their gear. Also as far as I know the death rig is the ONLY rig he has its the only one I have seen on his back. So it certainly seems to me that is the one he lent the guy. I am not 100% on that. Bad decisions abound!

I dislike how some people are just comercializeing on the 9-11 attacks for personal gain. Everyone is saying 9-11 this or that so they can get more money for themselves. For some, it is a racket...

Why borrow from the locals? Potato must have some friends... Even in this thread there are people positive about him.

Just the thought of him being a BASE jumper on top of a nice building on a very nice evening with good weather conditions, walking down just doesn't seem right....

Respect for the offer made by him though. His heart must be in the right place.

J.

the one and only potatohead.
yes, he landed a mr bill (sweet)
yes, he landed in the prison (dumb)
yes, he took a point blank shot to the head with a potato gun cracking the motorcycle helmut he had on.
shooter honors go to digger cooper.

g

What!?!?!... no video of the potato shot???? That would've made my day!

Dude, I am with Toymaker, it is hard to believe
a jumper took a shot to the dome with a spud gun
and did not think to get video of it

There is video.

Hey Tom....
It's a converted Dolphin with a Raven....
I just met him 2 weeks ago at one of our local bars and he was showing it to me...

What aspects of the rig make it a "Death Rig"?
take care,
space

He had to ring someone twice once to ask them how to hold the D-bag for a "student" that was to make their first jump on it

(we overheard him at the bar...)

I thought so, there can only be a few potato heads in the USA that base and skydive.

Yup, Billy Richards was pissed when he heard Potato Head landed that. I think he was grounded for a while after that....

PLEASE!! dont make me beg!!!

where to start...

the fact that it started life as a dolphin and then with some sloppy cutting and nasty sewing became a two-pin container

the bridle was made from three different pieces of tape, of two different types, one being the correct type for a bridle and the other being slightly wider than normal binding tape

it was sewn together quite scarily and covered in friction burns, some of them almost halfway through the tape's whole width

Potatohead quite proudly told me that this bridle once failed on an antenna jump but he managed to get the canopy out anyways and sew the bridle together again.

those seemed to me like reasons why some people might call it a death rig

Nah, that's just innovation.... lol

Ganja

Hollywood when did u move out west?

oct 2003

I found myself sitting on the curb with about six police officers staring at me like I was a circus freak the other night.
There were several ways this could have turned out, but the fact that I was friendly, didn't try to run, and didn't act like an idiot, probably saved my ass.
A concerned citizen saw me, thought I was committing suicide, and called the police. By the time I came back from shutting the elevator down, I was surrounded. I explained myself, told them who I was and what I was doing, and all I could do was wait for the outcome. I was reminded of the fact I had just committed a federal offense since I was on a television tower.
Long story short, they told me it wasn't their call as to whether or not I went to jail. So they called the tower owner to see if they wanted to press charges.
You know what the station manager's main concern was? He told the police to let me know that I had just been exposed to enough rays that I would probably be sterilized and that I may need to go get checked out. They were more concerned about my health than the fact I was trespassing on their tower.
The police told me I was free to go, "we appreciate your cooperation". I have a feeling if I had ran and they had to chase me, it would have turned out different.
So yea, being the rebel idiot may work if the circumstances are right, but if you are caught, you are caught. Be polite, take responsibility for your actions, be willing to accept the outcome, or just jump the legal stuff.

Just my opinion.

Rod

Exactly, your caught, deal with it, no need to make this a COPS episode. BASE jumpers are not, generally, white trash attention hungry stupid degenerate fucks. so dont act like one when you get busted. when a friend and i got 'caught' it wasn't a big deal once we explained everything and promised never to return to that object. once caught, you're busted, no need to run and make things worse.

I'm glad you qualified that.

potatoe head got kicked off the dz whenhe was shit faced on the plane and then said he would tell the faa that the pilot new he was jumping drunk that was a 1 0r 2 year abn
but i have to say for my first base jump he packed my rig while he was tripping on mushrooms and so what if he left my toogles set up for slider off jumps when it was a slider up jump it just took a while for thei only had a 180

there are so many great ,respectfull people on this board that in know(and respect) but this is one reason i no longer come on very much,at all so many new punks (pukes) in this sport that just don't get it!!!!! very sad.......formaly from the east coast i now have lived in utah for 4 years and am lucky to go to moab monthly and the bridge if i choose,and am still doing bandit jumps (that no one knows other than my crew)now i may not be the pretentious little worm that cane jet set around the world base jumping all the greats...but i have my world here in the states and it sucks to see what some of u punks are doing to it.........go a head flame away i will never hide!!!!!!!!!

i dont get it what are u talking about have u been drinking again. put the bottle down dude theres a thing called rehab. and dont be so angry lets all hug like brothers

HAVN'T HAD A DRINK IN OVER TWO YEAR MY MINDLESS ,SORRY MINDTRICK FRIEND