A man in California decided to jump into a lake from a giant rope swing he had previously installed on a tree. This was a big no-no for rangers, who told him he would get arrested for it. He paid no mind and did it anyway, and he was handcuffed for “dangerous games.”
The lake feat was shared online by Nick Coulter. He describes himself as a filmmaker and an athlete, and often documents himself freestyle cliff jumping, an activity he is very fond of. The clip attached above, filmed at Lake Tahoe, went viral, garnering 2.8 million views, 245,300 likes, and close to 9,500 comments. In less than a day, it became his biggest video ever.
The California man was at Lake Tahoe ready to jump into the water by swinging from a small wooden platform. He had previously attached a rope swing to a tree and had even tested it by swinging a backpack. However, all fun and games were momentarily halted when a State Park Patrol ranger approached him and his group. Also, a ranger boat was spotted in the water.
The ranger told Nick and his group that they needed to take the rope down and leave the area. If he decided to jump from the rocky cliff, the man would be arrested for “unsafe games.”
California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 4319 prohibits engaging in games or recreational activities that endanger the safety of people, resources, or property, or interfere with visitor activities in places such as state parks.
Man Jumps, Gets Arrested
Nick couldn’t believe he was being threatened with an arrest, and instead asked the ranger to provide the specific code he was violating. Arguably, the ranger had already cited it, but the soon-to-be-jumper decided not to listen.
“You guys got real crime to deal with here? Good stuff. I’m glad my taxes are being used wisely,” the California man said.
Moments later, Nick returned to the wooden platform, ready to jump. The ranger said, “I just wanna clarify if you do decide to jump, you’re going to jail.” Nick jumped, did a double backflip, and landed in the water.
As promised, he was placed in handcuffs. Another ranger, when asked what he was being charged with, said, “dangerous games.”
Social Media Reactions
Many viewers believed that the arrest was excessive, and that Nick had done nothing wrong. One said, “The land of the free btw.” Another one commented, “I swear at this point you get more freedom in other countries. America is taking everything way too far.”
Others, however, were supportive of the rangers. One wrote, “It’s all fun and games until those same park rangers have to scrape someone’s son off the rocks.” Another one added, “Regardless if you think it’s stupid, laws are laws.”
Given Nick’s content, it seems likely that he will continue sharing videos of his freestyle cliff jumps. Whether the recent arrest changes that approach remains to be seen, but the incident has already sparked plenty of discussion online.
