Appeal launched for BASE jumper who provoked massive emergency service response
23 August 2021, 10:44
Avon and Somerset police have launched an appeal to try and identify a man who BASE jumped off the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
The incident took place at shortly after 9:30 pm on 18 July.
BASE is an acronym that stands for four categories of objects that BASE jumpers use: buildings, antennae, spans and earth. Base jumpers use parachutes to jump from great heights and land safely.
Avon and Somerset Police have released a CCTV image of the man they wish to speak to.
In a statement, the force said that, at the time, it was unclear whether the man had landed safely, which triggered a massive response from emergency services.
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Do you know this man?
— Avon and Somerset Police (@ASPolice) August 23, 2021
We’d like to speak to him in connection with a public nuisance incident in which a man BASE jumped off the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
It prompted a large emergency services response at the time as it was unclear he'd landed safely.https://t.co/vcO4m7MqkQ pic.twitter.com/HecrFTTquA
Police, fire crews, ambulances and the coastguard were all deployed to search the area for the jumper, which police say took up significant resources.
The Portway, a road that stretches from Salisbury to Silchester, was closed for almost two hours until a review of CCTV from the scene showed that the man had used a parachute.
Officers are now treating it as a public nuisance incident.
The public are urged to phone 101 and provide reference number 5221162566 if they recognise the man in the image.
