A Man Obsessed with 'Likes'... Diving from a 3-Story Building Rooftop into the Venice Canal

Mayor: "We Need to Give a 'Fool Certificate'"

Recently, there has been a series of attempts to dive from rooftops of buildings in Venice, Italy. It is reported that these individuals engage in such acts to attract attention and receive 'likes' on social networking services (SNS).

On the 26th (local time), according to Italy's ANSA news agency and others, a video of a man diving from a building rooftop into a canal has sparked controversy online.

In the video, a man identified as A, estimated to be in his 20s or 30s, jumps from the rooftop of a three-story building toward the canal. He then swims to the edge of the canal, where another man, B, who was waiting for him, hands him a towel. Some passersby watched their antics.

A man is diving from a building located in Venice, Italy.
[Image source=ANSA, Italy]

Venice strictly prohibits swimming and diving in the canals. The canals are not very deep, and collisions with gondolas (boats operating in the Venice canals) or other vessels could lead to serious accidents. If caught, offenders face a minimum fine of 350 euros (approximately 480,000 KRW).

Luigi Brugnaro, the mayor of Venice, stated that they will definitely find and punish Mr. A. Mayor Brugnaro criticized, "We need to give this person a certificate of foolishness," adding, "These people risk their lives just for a few 'likes'."

The Venice police are currently tracking Mr. A. A police official said, "We are working to identify Mr. A and Mr. B, who handed him the towel," and "We will thoroughly investigate the circumstances that led Mr. A to climb onto the rooftop."

Meanwhile, some tourists have recently continued to dive or swim in the canals. In 2019, two Czech male tourists were caught swimming naked in the canal. The police fined each of them 3,000 euros (approximately 4.19 million KRW). Additionally, in August last year, two boys were caught water skiing in the canal, which caused public outrage.