Paraglider Arrested In Oregon For YouTube Stunt

Be careful what you post on YouTube—it just might get you arrested. That’s what happened to Dell Schanze aka "SUPERDELL", a paraglider from Utah who posted a video of himself jumping from Astoria, Oregon’s historic tower, the Astoria Column. The video went up on Saturday June 11 and on Monday, just two days later, the paragliding daredevil was arrested. We’ve seen several people get arrested because of YouTube videos. However, usually the video in question is taken down. This time, the video of Schanze’s jump is still online, with just under 5,000 views. Check it out below and then read on to find out more about the arrest. Legality aside, it is pretty awesome. You can also check out more of Dell Schanze's stunts on his YouTube channel. According to KOMO News, Dell Schanze was arrested on Monday after being spotted at an Oregon beach. When the video of his jump was posted to YouTube, "the police sent it to the media in the hopes of finding the man. And it didn’t take long." A beachgoer called in to report that he had seen Schanze on the beach, near the Peter Iredale shipwreck. The police found him there, operating a power paraglide, of course! As of yesterday, Schanze was being held at the Clatsop County Jail on $10,000 bail. Why was Schanze arrested? Staff at KOMO News says, "Astoria has an ordinance that specifically prohibits certain acts at the Astoria Column, including descent from, scaling or ascension of the exterior, and climbing over the railing of the viewing platform." This shouldn’t have come as a surprise to Schanze and the crew that helped him shoot the video. After his jump one of the camera operators says, "We’re gonna go face law enforcement now. Hopefully we’ll get out in time." I guess it didn't dawn on them that posting a video of the event to YouTube with all of their faces visible would lead law enforcement directly to them. The description on the YouTube video points viewers to U-TurnUSA.com, a site dedicated to paragliding gear. It also says that the stunt was planned by Byron Leisek, another paraglider. I wonder if Byron will face any time or fines for this and I wonder if SUPERDELL and the gang are as pleased with what they did now that their paragliding daredevil has been arrested. According to Oregon Local News, local paragliders were none too pleased with the stunt. Brad Hill, who owns Warrenton’s Discover Paragliding says, "We are not happy about it. He is here for the month of June. His typical M.O. is to go anywhere in the world he wants to go and do whatever he wants to do and then leave and let the locals deal with the aftermath." Hill said, "Unfortunately, he’s a brilliant pilot as far as his skills. He probably was operating in his skill level, but for the average person it’s almost suicidal. I can probably do it. I never would. There are few people I could think of that probably could." Hopefully this video won’t inspire other daredevils with lesser skills to try this and similar stunts. What do you think about the new YouTube crime fighting trend, with more and more criminals being arrested after posting videos on YouTube? And what do you think of the story of SUPERDELL and his jump from the Astoria Column? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Megan O’Neill is the resident web video enthusiast here at Social Times. Megan covers everything from the latest viral videos to online video news and tips, and has a passion for bizarre, original and revolutionary content and ideas.

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Paraglider Arrested In Oregon For YouTube Stunt

Be careful what you post on YouTube—it just might get you arrested.

Megan O'Neill

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