While countless attempts at traversing Niagara Falls have been made over the years, Robert Overacker had an admirable reason for attempting his crossing: to raise awareness for the homeless. Unfortunately, his October 1995 attempt didn’t go as planned.
Overacker planned to ride through the water on a jet ski and then open the parachute on his back as he went over the edge and let his vehicle plummet down into the river below the falls. But when his parachute failed to open, it was the 39-year-old Californian who fell 180 feet to his demise.
“It’s like hitting cement,” said Niagara Parks Police officer Thomas Detenbeck of Overacker’s last moment alive. “I don’t really think people respect the power of the falls.”
