Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Hiker Falls to His Death From Pedra do Macaco Viewpoint

Recovering the body after a four-hour rescue highlighted missing trail signage, raising scrutiny of informal guiding.

Overview

  • Caio Rocha Aguiar Arrabal, 44, fell from an exposed rock at the Pedra do Macaco trail and was found dead after the plunge.
  • Video recorded by a member of the group shows Arrabal posing for a photo, attempting to descend the rock and then slipping over the edge.
  • Rescue teams from Maricá Civil Defence and firefighters carried out a complex, roughly four-hour recovery that required rope ascents and difficult travel through dense, steep terrain.
  • Officials and local reports say the trail lacks directional or warning signs and that Arrabal was guiding visitors from Araruama on what was reportedly his first time on the path.
  • The death is the second recent fatal outdoor accident in Maricá in less than two weeks, a pattern that has prompted questions about oversight, informal guides and visitor safety at popular photo spots.