Belgian man charged after base jumper rescued from Auckland hotel

A 22-year-old Belgian national has been charged with burglary after a base jump left him stranded outside Hotel Indigo in central Auckland late on October 20, the NZ Herald reported. Police say rescuers had to smash a glass panel worth about NZ$20,000 to reach him, disrupting guests at the hotel.

How the Hotel Indigo rescue unfolded

Emergency services were called to the hotel on Albert Street shortly before 11 p.m. after the man became stuck outside the building with a parachute attached to him. Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews used a high-angle rope rescue and brought him in through a hotel window, according to the Herald. Police say he was not injured and did not need medical attention.

Auckland City area commander Inspector Grae Anderson said a glass panel worth approximately NZ$20,000 had to be smashed to reach the man. ‘We do not condone this type of behaviour; it is reckless and poses risk to the person jumping and those on the ground,’ Anderson said, according to the Herald. The estimate concerns damage caused to enable the rescue.

Burglary charge and alleged September jump

Police say the Belgian national is due to appear in Auckland District Court on October 27 on a burglary charge. The charge has not been adjudicated. Police also allege he was the same person who filmed a base jump from another Auckland building under construction in September.

The Herald identified the earlier location as the Seascape tower in Auckland's central business district. It reported that a content creator using the name ‘iliesnec’ posted footage of that jump on Instagram. Police describe the hotel incident and the September jump as two base-jumping cases in central Auckland; their identification of the man in connection with the earlier jump remains an allegation.