A 17-year-old who sustained serious injuries in a viral cliff-jumping incident at San Diego's Sunset Cliffs has spoken out about his painful recovery. The teen, who has not been identified, told Fox 5 that he is currently unable to walk without a walker due to the severity of his injuries.
"I slammed against the rock and I felt like paralyzed, and I couldn’t move," the teen recounted. "My lungs were burning, my ribs were burning, my spine, it was the weirdest feeling it was just burning."
The incident occurred at Sunset Cliffs, a location known for illegal cliff diving. Video footage of the jump shows the teen leaping from the ledge but appearing to not fully commit to the jump before takeoff. He then slammed onto the edge of the rocks before bouncing into the water.
According to reports, the teen suffered six compression fractures to his vertebrae and received nine stitches in his foot, though he did not require surgery. He expressed a sense of luck, stating, "If I slipped a little bit more and I landed straight on that slab and not in the water, I would probably be paralyzed if not dead."
The participants described their motivation for the stunt as "aura farming," a social media term for performing risky or impressive actions to gain online attention.
Authorities have emphasized the dangers and illegality of such activities. Cliff-jumping is prohibited under city municipal code, which forbids jumping or diving into the Pacific Ocean or Mission Bay from any natural or human-made point more than five feet above the water. San Diego Fire-Rescue Public Information Officer Candace Hadley urged the public to "stay back from cliff edges, follow all posted warnings and never jump from cliffs or other elevated areas into the water."
Despite the warnings and the teen's experience, Fox 5 reported that other teenagers were observed cliff diving at the same location days after the incident.