Kirk Jones, of Canton, Mich., took a plunge over this area of the Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Falls, Ontario, as seen Oct. 22, 2003. Jones is the only person known to have survived a plunge over the falls without a safety device.
A Canadian judge agreed on Oct. 23, 2003, to release Kirk Jones, 40, a U.S. citizen who survived a plunge over Niagara Falls. Jones was ordered to stay out of Canada except for court appearances. He was charged with mischief and unlawfully performing a stunt.
Jones lays at the shoreline at the base of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls after surviving the plunge over Niagara Falls, with only the clothes on his back to protect him, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, Oct. 20, 2003. Witnesses described seeing the man float by in the swift Niagara River, go headfirst over the churning 180-foot waterfall and then pull himself out of the water onto rocks below.
Jones waits at the shoreline at the base of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls after surviving his plunge over Niagara Falls.
Jones is assisted by rescue personnel after surviving the plunge.
The Maid of the Mist tour boat cruises to the base of the Horseshoe Falls under a rainbow in Niagara Falls, Ontario, in Canada, Oct. 22, 2003.
Danger signs are posted along the railing at the Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, Oct. 22, 2003.
Tom Madison, front, of Stanley, Wis., and his friend John McCullough of Fond du Lac, Wis., make wishes as they throw pennies into the Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, Oct. 22, 2003. McCullough said he wished for happiness and Madison wished for long life and prosperity during their vacation in Niagara Falls.
Cole Kelly, 8 months old, held by his mother Teresa Kelly gets a close look at the Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, Oct. 22, 2003. Kirk Jones, who recently walked away virtually unharmed from a plunge over Niagara Falls said he had been depressed, but the experience made him want to live.