Guy Dies Going Over Niagara Falls In Inflatable Ball

Daily Mail- The first person to ever survive the leap into Niagara Falls without protection in 2003 has died after attempting the plunge again – this time inside an inflatable ball.

Police found the body of 53-year-old Kirk Jones floating in the Niagara River two weeks ago after trying the stunt in a 10-foot inflatable ball.

Authorities say Jones took the 180-foot plunge back on April 19 but his body wasn’t discovered by the US Coast Guard until June 2.

The empty 10-foot ball was found in the rapids that same day and was recovered by a tour boat Maid of the Mist after it went over the falls. It is believed Jones’ body slipped out of the ball and floated away.

When asked by the Syracuse Post-Standard if it was the same man who had survived the plunge 14 years ago, Detective Sgt. Brian Nesbit said: ‘That’s the guy.’ 

Jones, who was living in Michigan back in 2003, became the first person to survive the plunge without protection on October 20 when he remarkably only suffered only bruises, scrapes and battered ribs. 

He had no protection and was only wearing his jeans, sneakers and two winter coats when he jumped from Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side of the border.

His family told reporters at the time that Jones had been planning it as a daredevil stunt, but the then-40-year-old claimed he was trying to kill himself.  

He described looking over the concrete barricade and recalled a woman jokingly asking if he was going to jump. Jones replied: ‘Yes. I think I am’ before climbing over the wall and then jumping into the falls.

He said he was sucked into the falls and it felt like he had been slammed into a table when he fell the 180-feet. While he was being spun around in a whirlpool, he was thrown onto a rock and hit his ribs. 

Reports surfaced at the time that Jones and his brother Keith were planning to write a book titled ‘You’re Kidding Me: A Knucklehead’s Guide to Surviving Niagara Falls’. 

Another day, another moronic death. Sure makes my job easier. People will never stop dying in the dumbest ways possible. Make no mistake: this man is a moron. You know how big stunts will often be prefaced by a disclaimer that says, “The following stunt is being performed by professionals.” This man is NOT a professional. This is just a Bills fan who most likely shotgunned a beer, placed a table at the bottom of the falls, and tried to land on it to help the Bills go .500. Clearly, he missed, died, and now the Bills won’t make the playoffs.

He said he was sucked into the falls and it felt like he had been slammed into a table when he fell the 180-feet.

I’m not wrong.

In 2003, he dove off the falls wearing jeans, sneakers, and two winter coats. No wetsuit, no helmet, just a dude who rooted around in his closet and thought, eh, an extra coat should do it. Here he is:

Paul Giammatti meets Mick Foley. I guess he claims it was a suicide attempt but he was also planning to write a book called “You’re Kidding Me: A Knucklehead’s Guide to Surviving Niagara Falls” so that’s clearly bullshit.

Dude, you already survived the jump with NO protection. What’s the point of going over the falls in a ball? That seems like a step backwards. What’s next… rappel down the falls, then tape yourself sitting on your couch watching movies about Niagara Falls? Kirk, you played it safer, and you died. Also, I don’t know where you buy your inflatable zorbs but clearly that guy can’t be trusted. Last thing: he did this on April 19th but the coast guard didn’t find his body until June 2nd. 6 weeks! That’s the coast guard saying “fuck this guy,” as they should. At least he died going balls deep.