Parachutist Arrested After Eiffel Tower Jump

Paris landmark has had intrusions, bomb threats in past week
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 17, 2023 3:40 PM CDT
Police Arrest Eiffel Tower Parachutist
The Eiffel Tower in Paris in June.   (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Security personnel were unable to prevent a man from parachuting off the Eiffel Tower early Thursday, but he was arrested after landing safely on the roof of a Paris sports center. Police reported that the jumper was spotted less than a minute after arriving; he then climbed a column and jumped. The company that manages the tower filed a complaint against "this type of irresponsible action, which endangers those working on or under the structure," CNN reports. The 9am opening of the tower, whose security team has had a busy week, was delayed.

On Monday, two security personnel making their morning rounds found two US tourists sleeping in an area that's off-limits to the public. And two bomb threats posted online caused the tower's evacuation on Saturday for several hours. Police stations in Paris received more bomb threats on Monday, though the Eiffel Tower was not evacuated. Tourists have had a destructive summer, with the Colosseum and the Leaning Tower of Pisa among the sites damaged. Experts attribute the problem to "diminishing civility" in general, per the Post, as well as the rebound in tourism, a growing sense of entitlement, and, again, social media. That story can be found here. (More Eiffel Tower stories.)

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