The French soldier who allegedly BASE-jumped off a 250 metre Sydney crane after breaking into a construction site is set to be deported from Australia.
Jonathan Perherin, 24, is alleged to have parachuted over a busy motorway and Darling Harbour before landing on Darling Drive in Pyrmont in the early hours of Tuesday.
‘He’ll be removed from the country as soon as his court proceedings are finished,’ Superintendent Mick Fitzgerald told reporters.
‘He could easily have killed himself or others.’
Perherin is an avid base jumper who has completed jumps all over the world and form a number of cranes
Jonathan Perherin (pictured) said he has no regrets about his alleged base jump from a crane in Sydney’s CBD in the early hours of Tuesday morning
Perherin, who NSW Police say is a professional BASE jumper, was nabbed by rangers and handed to officers before he was charged and granted conditional bail.
‘He’s allegedly a former French Foreign Legion soldier, or that’s what he claims, and he claims that he is experienced, but the fact is that his equipment was faulty,’ Superintenden Fitzgerald said.
Perherin, who has previously shared videos on his Facebook page of himself jumping off structures, has no regrets.
‘No, because I do what I like, I know this is forbidden, but I don’t regret because I’m alive,’ he told Network Ten.
He said the tears in his parachute were not there before he jumped.
‘It’s not me who made this, because if I jumped with this hole, I will die.’
The former soldier said his experience in the French military (pictured) had taught him to jump safely
‘It has many lights, it’s a beautiful place. Every day I say f*** I want to jump this crane,’ Perherin said
Perherin said he passed the crane every day on his way to work.
‘It has many lights, it’s a beautiful place. Every day I say f*** I want to jump this crane.’
When asked if it was illegal to BASE jump in NSW, the attorney-general’s office referred AAP to the Summary Offences Act which states: ‘A person who risks the safety of any other person as a consequence of abseiling, jumping or parachuting from any part of a building or other structure, is guilty of an offence.’
Police claim Mr Perherin (pictured) climbed to the top of a crane before preparing his gear and jumping off, parachuting over several lanes of traffic
Australian BASE Association president Gary Cunningham says while it’s important thrillseekers respect the law advocates are ‘disappointed’ it’s so difficult to get permission to BASE jump here.
‘It occasionally leads to people doing jumps like the one this morning,’ he said in a statement to AAP.
Mr Cunningham, who is an experienced BASE jumper, says the very real risks associated with the sport mean participants need regular practice to maintain their skills.
He called on authorities to open up more areas where people can jump safely.
‘Most people only get four weeks holiday per year to travel overseas to places where they can legally jump,’ he said.
‘Not being able to practice for the rest of the year just leads to a decay in our skills and knowledge and makes it more dangerous than it should be.’
Perherin is scheduled to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on October 17.
A Frenchman who allegedly broke into a construction site in the Sydney CBD and then BASE jumped from a crane, parachuting over several lanes of traffic, has been charged by police
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