A man known for climbing tall buildings has died from an apparent fall off of a Hong Kong skyscraper, local authorities say
Before his death, Remi Lucidi was last seen knocking on the 68th floor of Hong Kong's Tregunter Tower, a source told the South China Morning Post.
REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
- A man known for extreme sports died from what appears to be a fall from a Hong Kong building.
- Remi Lucidi was last seen on the building's 68th floor, a source told the South China Morning Post.
- Hong Kong police confirmed the death in a case brief sent to Insider.
A French man known for taking part in extreme sports has died from what appears to be a fall from a high-rise apartment complex in Hong Kong, local police confirmed to Insider.
Remi Lucidi, 30, documented himself climbing tall buildings across the world on his Instagram account.
Lucidi was last seen alive knocking on a penthouse window on the 68th floor of one of the three Tregunter Tower buildings at around 7:30 p.m. local time on Thursday, a source cited as familiar with the case told the South China Morning Post's Laura Westbrook.
A domestic worker in the building spotted Lucidi at the window and called the police, according to the newspaper.
Police told the SCMP that Lucidi arrived at Tregunter Tower shortly after 6 p.m. on Thursday and told a security guard he was visiting a friend on the 40th floor. Lucidi got into an elevator before the guard discovered that the resident didn't know him, the publication reported.
Footage from the building's security cameras showed Lucidi exiting the elevator on the 49th floor and later on staircases on the top floor, according to the SCMP. Security guards also found a lock on the top floor had been forced open but failed to locate Lucidi, the publication reported.
After arriving at the scene, police found Lucidi on the ground level and confirmed he was dead, the SCMP reported.
In a case brief sent to Insider, the Hong Kong police department said that a 30-year-old man had died at the scene and his body was discovered by the building's security guard.
After an initial investigation, it is believed Lucidi fell from a ledge or a platform on the building, however, the cause of death is expected to be determined after an autopsy, according to the same brief.
Lucidi was known for taking selfies from extreme heights around the globe
Police found Lucidi's camera at the scene, which contained videos of extreme sports, according to the SCMP.
Lucidi's Instagram account, under the name "Remi Enigma," includes numerous selfies taken from extreme heights in Hong Kong, Bulgaria, and Dubai. The account has over 8,000 followers as of Monday.
The last post on the account — a photo of Hong Kong skyscrapers at night, shared on July 24 — has a number of comments from followers sharing their condolences.
On Saturday, the SMCP reported that police were investigating whether Lucidi was taking part in similar activities to those shared on his Instagram account at the time of his death.
A source cited as familiar with the case told the newspaper that it was possible Lucidi had become trapped outside the penthouse while practicing extreme sports and had knocked on the window for help before falling.
Lucidi had been staying at the Ashoka Hostel in Chungking Mansions in Tsim Sha Tsui before his death, the hostel owner Gurjit Kaur told the SCMP. Kaur told the outlet that police visited the hostel on Saturday to collect Lucidi's belongings.
A number of people have died while taking selfies from dangerous heights in recent years
In June 2018, a couple fell to their deaths while vacationing in Portugal after attempting to take a selfie at the top of a 130-foot-tall wall, Portugal's Correio da Manha reported at the time.
In 2019, a 22-year-old student died after falling 40 feet from a bell tower where she had been trying to take photos, the New York Post previously reported.
Others have survived similar accidents. In July 2022, an American tourist fell into Mount Vesuvius, an ancient, active volcano in Campania, Italy, where he was trying to take a selfie, CNN reported at the time.
The man was left with a few bruises and declined to go to the hospital when an ambulance arrived, local authorities told CNN at the time of the incident.