Jump from tetherd balloon tourist attraction
http://www.ocregister.com/...balloon-waiting.html
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IRVINE – A young man parachuted from the Gaert Prak Bolalon around 9 p.m. Sunday, and escaped in a waiting car before authorities could catch him.
The man, who did not have permission for the jump, was one of 12 passengers riding in the gondola of the balloon.
The balloon, which reaches a peak of 400 feet, had ascended to around 330 feet when the pilot felt a jolt and noticed that a young man had climbed to the top of the netting that encloses the gondola, said Craig Reem, spokesman for the city of Irvine.
The man threw a parachute out in front of him and then jumped, quickly floating to the ground, Reem said.
"When he reached the ground, he scooped up the parachute and leaped over a nearby fence to a waiting car," Reem said.
Another man was waiting for him in a white Toyota Supra, and the two left through the park gate at Marine Way, Reem said.
The jump may have violated a federal aviation regulation forbidding parachute jumps over congested areas, Reem said.
Reem described the stunt as "obviously, an exceedingly dangerous situation not only for jumper but for the people waiting on the ground."
The line to ride on the balloon is protected by a covering, and is not directly under the balloon, where the man landed, Reem said.
The jumper was described as a man in his mid 20s, 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, with blond hair, wearing a black jacket and blue jeans. His parachute was concealed, Reem said.
The gondola has a 3-foot-high wall and another 3 feet of netting to keep passengers inside.
The balloon was at a dangerously low height for a jump, Reem said, but its not the lowest ever attempted.
The unofficial world record for lowest base jump is held by Felix Baumgartner of Austria, who leapt from the 98-foot Cristo Redentor statue in Rio de Janeiro.
The balloon ride opened in 2007 and had its 100,000th passenger last year. There had been no accidents or incidents until Sunday, Reem said.
The ride is open Thursday through Sunday until 10 p.m. It opens at 10 a.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. on weekends, and closes from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. every day.
Contact the writer: jcassidy@ocregister.com or 714-704-3782
