The death of French daredevil Remi Lucidi has sparked an online debate about the lengths adrenaline junkies will go to achieve their fix.
Lucidi, a 30-year-old known for extreme sports, died Thursday after he reportedly fell from the 68th story of Hong Kong’s Tregunter Tower complex.
Several Instagram users took to Lucidi’s public profile account to slam the late adventurer for his lifestyle.
“Was it worth the photo,” wrote one Instagram user, who has since deleted the comment. “Putting yourself in dangerous situations for what? This time you don’t come back. Your family loses you for absolutely nothing.”
“Lack of care for himself, his family … imagine the poor folks who have to clean up the mess he made when he hit the ground? Think that’s traumatizing,” slammed a second person.
“He did everything solely to impress others, and as he climbed, his only thought was reaching the top and capturing a selfie for the world to see,” commented a third person. “However, while attempting to take the picture, he slipped and fell. Now, the world will likely forget him. What a painful death, was it all worth it in the end?”
In response, several people chastised the cruel remarks, saying that it was inappropriate to speak ill of Lucidi and that it was impossible to know how he was feeling when he attempted the scary stunts.
“What do you even know?? Maybe he felt alive every time he climbed up and didn’t do it for the selfies,” defended one user. “It was for plenty of other reasons! It’s his life, who are you to judge it?”
“Enough of the hate! Enough of the disrespect! Enough,” typed another person, while adding, “If you have nothing pleasant to say ~ move on!”
“Bro went out doing what he loved! He lived his life fully. Not many can say that,” commented another person.
The furious debate raged after Hong Kong officials said that Lucidi arrived at the building around 6 p.m. and told the security guard that he was visiting a friend on the 40th floor.
According to the guard, his story turned out to be false, and by the time he attempted to apprehend Lucidi, the man had already taken an elevator to the 49th floor where security cameras captured him taking the stairs to the top of the building.
Those in pursuit of Lucidi revealed they found the hatch leading to the roof open, but he was nowhere in sight.
Police say the man was last seen alive at 7:38 p.m. when he tapped on the window of the complex’s penthouse, prompting a maid to call the police.
An unnamed source close to the investigation said that police believe Lucidi was trapped outside of the penthouse and was banging on the window for help before the unfortunate accident.
The source also revealed that police found Lucidi’s camera at the scene and it contained videos of his other death-defying acts.
Lucidi is not the first person to attempt this kind of stunt.
In April, a New York teen was caught trying to scale the Williamsburg Bridge but was ultimately caught by police.
Another daredevil baffled New Yorkers after the suit-wearing man was caught jumping between the awnings of a Financial District high-rise.
It was later revealed that the man was actually a contractor and was there to fix a leaky skylight.
