Colombian influencer Ángel Montoya died at age 30, days after recording himself jumping off a bridge into the Cauca River.
Montoya filmed himself performing the stunt on January 27, telling viewers “see you later,” in Spanish before jumping off the General Santander bridge. He could be heard joking around with the cameraman before making the jump.
Per multiple Colombian outlets, Montoya appeared to swim before being dragged by the current. It was reported that Montoya appeared to have lost some mobility in his arm after jumping into the river.
“You’re going to be taken away in the current,” the person filming reportedly yelled to Montoya when he was in the water.
Three days later, sand miners discovered the body before the Colombian authorities. Montoya was found following an attempted rescue mission, but it became delayed due to the Cauca River’s high water levels.
“It is crucial to urge the people of Valle del Cauca not to risk their lives,” Francisco Tenorio, Valle’s Secretary of Risk Management, shared in a statement, according to the Colombian newspapers. “We are in the rainy season, with nearly 25 municipalities affected by flash floods and torrential downpours. Life is the most precious gift and should not be put at risk.”
After the video of Montoya’s stunt went viral, several social media users were quick to comment about how dangerous that particular river is.
“The Cauca River is extremely turbulent beneath its surface, and just by watching the video you can clearly see the whirlpools with the naked eye,” one person claimed via X. “Those waters have swallowed both living people and corpses, and for years it has been the drainage site for the dead from the drug trade. It is a very dangerous river!”
Another person claimed, “The Cauca River is perhaps the worst river that exists for swimming! It’s treacherous, and the current is wild.”
A third X user stated that “you don’t mess” with the Cauca River.
“You respect it,” they added. “You only swim in it during the summer and in beach areas far from the currents.”
The Cauca River is 600 miles long and is located in southwestern Colombia. It joins the Magdalena River before flowing into the Caribbean Sea. In November 2007, it was reported that the river receives approximately 500 tons of residual waste per day.
According to The Sun, a separate local resident claimed to have performed the same stunt as the late Montoya — but did not recommend it.
“A word of advice for those who like extreme sports as much as I do: before doing anything crazy, study the area. When I jumped into the Cauca River, I jumped with a friend who had already made several jumps and he was my guide,” the man named Macre Uzzy reportedly said. “We had already discussed that the banks of the Cauca are false banks, that we should swim with the current as not to tire ourselves out and end up on the rocks of the banks, and everything went well for us.”
He added, “Whether it’s skydiving, motocross, surfing, or any other extreme sport, go with professionals and, days before you do anything crazy, study the place look at all the possibilities, prepare the equipment, and remember that even if you do all that, THE RISK IS ALWAYS THERE.”
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