California man arrested over bonkers social media stunt – he switched from saying it was legal to calling it just AI

Police arrested a California man, Jack Matthew Propeck, after federal authorities charged him with illegally BASE jumping off a cliff in Yosemite National Park. He claimed he fabricated the stunt using artificial intelligence.

Propeck, a resident of Mission Viejo, California, now faces federal charges stemming from a video he posted to Instagram in October 2025. According to prosecutors, the video shows a parachute-assisted leap off Glacier Point, one of Yosemite’s most iconic overlooks. Propeck shares other daredevil feats on his feed.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the since-deleted video appears to show Propeck sprinting off a cliff at Glacier Point. It then shows him deploying a parachute and descending toward Yosemite Valley.

The jump occurred during the October 2025 federal government shutdown. Investigators noted a surge in illegal jumps during that period, as thrill-seekers attempted to exploit reduced ranger staffing.

Yosemite National Park prohibits BASE jumping except in emergencies. The park does not issue permits for recreational jumps.

Propeck said he had a permit, then said it was AI

Propeck responded directly to questions about his Instagram post, authorities said. When commenters asked whether he had a permit for the BASE jump, his account allegedly replied, “I have a permit.” Park officials say there’s no record of Propeck ever applying for such a permit.

Investigators traced the video to Propeck through a license plate reader that recorded his vehicle entering Yosemite on Oct. 7 and exiting the following day. Photos showed him wearing the same distinctive purple mirrored sunglasses visible in the jump footage. Yosemite park ranger Cody Hays — who filed the complaint — also identified nearby landmarks such as North Dome and Washington Column in the video, verifying it was shot at Glacier Point.

When contacted by law enforcement on Oct. 20, 2025, Propeck initially denied he was the person in the video. After the ranger pointed out that the jumper’s face was clearly visible, Propeck alleged that he superimposed his face onto the footage using AI.

As ranger Hays noted in the court documents, “There is no evidence to suggest that AI was used to make or alter the video,” and the footage is consistent with other BASE jumping clips tied to Propeck’s social media accounts.

Propeck also reportedly told the ranger that BASE jumping might soon be legal in Yosemite due to a pending court case, though the complaint did not identify what case he was referring to.

According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, Propeck is charged with one count of delivering or retrieving a person (himself) or object by parachute or other airborne means.

Propeck is currently representing himself in the case and is scheduled for arraignment on April 7, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. If convicted, he could face fines and up to six months in jail under federal regulations governing the use of parachutes and similar airborne equipment in national parks.