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Video: BASE Jumper Dies After Setting Parachute On Fire In Stunt Gone Wrong

A BASE jumping stunt from a scenic Idaho bridge 486 feet above the Snake River ended in the fiery death of a 73-year-old California man.

New eyewitness footage has emerged revealing the final fatal plunge of James E. Hickey, who was killed May 7 after he intentionally lit his backup parachute on fire in a jump gone terribly wrong.

The YouTube video shows Hickey take the leap from the Perrine Memorial Bridge in Twin Falls, Id. — as so many BASE jumpers have — only to immediately become engulfed in a fireball and fall nearly 500 feet into the river below.

Hickey, an experienced BASE jumper and skydiver, was quickly plucked from the Snake River by a boat, but pronounced dead by paramedics, the Twin Falls Times-News reported.

A coroner's report said he died of blunt force trauma.

"The case is still with investigators," Twin Falls County Sheriff's Capt. Brent Hilliard said. "There is nothing to indicate any foul play or criminal activity."

Hickey reportedly first pulled off the stunt while skydiving, but something went awry over the Snake River.

The flaming chute was supposed to give way to a second chute. Instead Hickey went down in flames.

Hundreds of people jump from the bridge every year and injuries are common.

On March 9, 32-year-old Vancouver, British Columbia, resident Bryan Turner died after jumping from the bridge because his parachute didn't open properly.

A week after Hickey's death, Carla Jean Segil of Big Bear, Calif., had to be rescued after her chute got tangled up in the support structure under Perrine Bridge. The 26-year-old dangled for about a half hour before she could be pulled to safety.

Dean Potter, 43, and Graham Hunt, 29, were jumping illegally from a cliff in Yosemite when they both hit the rocks and died last week. The men were wearing wingsuits, bat-like gear intended to allow them to glide to a safe landing.