Daredevil using powered parasail gets caught on Statue of Liberty
( 2001-08-24 10:43 ) (7 )

A French stuntman Terry Do dangles from the torch of the Statue of Liberty, in New York on August 23. Do was arrested after attempting to land his paraglider on the torch part of the statue. He spent 40 minutes dangling from the statue after his sail got snared in the torch. [Reuters]

French adventurer Thierry Devaux, a veteran bungee jumper known for leaping from some of the world's most famous landmarks, was released on bail in New York on Thursday after a bungled attempt to land on the Statue of Liberty.

He had dangled off the Statue's famous torch for nearly an hour before being arrested by police.

Judge Ronald Ellis accused Devaux of "trespassing on property not open to the public without official authorization, intent to cause public alarm (and) putting himself and other at risk that tried to rescue him."

His sentence is to be decided at a hearing on September 24. The charges carry a sentence of up to three months in prison.

Devaux, whose passport was taken away, has until Monday to produce 2,000 dollars in bail money.

At about 9:30 am (1330 GMT), Devaux, also known as Terry Do, took off from the nearby New Jersey coast using a motorized parasail and attempted to land on the platform surrounding the gilded torch of the Statue of Liberty.

But he failed to land on the tiny platform, according to witnesses, and instead stood dangling in mid-air, several meters below his target, when the cloth of his parasail snagged on the flame.

Several days before Thursday's stunt, Devaux told reporters that he planned to land on one of New York's most emblematic structures -- whose identity he would not reveal -- and then bungee jump from it.

After being suspended for 45 minutes below the torch, supported by the cords of his parasail, Devaux managed to climb onto the platform, where he was arrested by police.

Far from achieving the freedom he hoped to attain with his bungee jump, Devaux instead left Liberty Island in New York Harbor in handcuffs, escorted by two members of the New York Police Department.

Devaux boasts successful bungee jumps from Paris's Eiffel Tower and San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.