Although I’d never want to trade places with the homeless folks who live on our city’s streets, I am a bit envious of the disregard they routinely show for their safety.
For example, I wish I had to guts to just cross a street wherever and whenever I wanted – or push a giant shopping cart down May Ave. – and assume incoming traffic will either stop or move over for me. Doing that takes a level of bravery and courage that I don’t – and probably never will – have.
I was reminded of this yesterday when I read about Zachary Magee. He caused a scene when he used a homemade parachute to jump off a bridge into the Oklahoma River.
A man is facing a misdemeanor charge after police say he jumped off a bridge with a homemade parachute into the Oklahoma River.
Oklahoma City police were called to the Exchange Bridge that crosses the Oklahoma River on Friday morning around 10.
A caller had told police dispatch that they saw a man on the side of the bridge with what looked like a homemade parachute.
While officers were on the way to the scene, the caller said the man jumped off the bridge.
Seriously, don’t you wish you had the balls to do something cool like that? The most thrilling thing I’ve done this year is change a light bulb in my kitchen. Meanwhile, this scruffy adventurer is risking broken bones, drowning, bacterial infections, and possible death, just to experience the thrill of floating like a feather into the Oklahoma River.
Fortunately, it looks like Zach survived his plunge just fine.
According to Channel 25, when cops arrived on the scene they found him swimming in the river. They then talked him into coming to shore where they promptly arrested the wild-eyed thrill-seeker.
Here’s more:
OKCFD fire rescue boats deployed in the water and recovered a large tarp. Police believe Magee used the tarp as a parachute.
Police asked Magee why he jumped off the bridge and police say he responded that he had done that "about 15 to 20 times before" and that he tries to do it everyday "because he gets too hot".
Officers asked about the tarp, and police say Magee told them he had made multiple parachutes out of tarps.
Officers noted he did not answer when they asked if the homemade parachutes worked.
Geeze, are cops ever not assholes?
This guy – who I’m pretty sure has never studied aerospace engineering – is risking life and limb to develop the perfect homemade parachute model, and the first thing they do is mock his success rate. I’m pretty sure the only way he can find out if the parachute works is to test it out, so there’s no need to kick the man and his engineering failures while he’s down and smelling like Oklahoma River water.
Anyway, there’s no word whether Zach is still in jail – the most dangerous place in town to stay the night – or what stunts he has planned next. Will he stick with trying to perfect homemade parachutes, or go a different route and attempt a free solo climb up the Milk Bottle Bottle building?
Whatever it is, we salute Zach's bravery and courage, and wish him the best of luck in future thrill-seeking endeavors... and/or finding a way out of homelessness and getting the mental health treatment he desperately needs.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
