People That Have Attempted Stunts Over Niagara Falls

Over the past century, many individuals have gone over Niagara Falls—some deliberately as stunts or suicide attempts, and others by accident. The first known person to survive such a plunge was Annie Edson Taylor, a schoolteacher who, in 1901, went over the falls inside a wooden barrel and lived to tell the tale. Since then, although thousands have gone over the edge, only sixteen people are known to have survived the descent. Notably, all recorded survivals have occurred at the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. In 1951, after a daredevil died attempting the feat, authorities made it illegal to perform stunts at the falls, enforcing penalties that can reach up to $25,000 USD.

Several individuals have achieved fame—sometimes tragically—for attempting stunts at Niagara Falls. The first recorded person to survive going over the falls was Annie Edson Taylor, a schoolteacher who, in 1901, undertook the daring feat inside an oak barrel in hopes of securing financial stability. Since then, others have followed in her footsteps, including Bobby Leach, Charles Stephens, Jean Lussier, Karel Soucek, and Steve Trotter, with varying outcomes. In a separate incident in 1903, famed baseball player Ed Delahanty lost his life after unintentionally going over the falls while under the influence of alcohol. After stuntman William “Red” Hill, Jr. died during a 1951 attempt, Ontario Premier Leslie Frost directed the Niagara Parks Commission to take legal action against anyone caught performing stunts. Both Canadian and U.S. authorities began issuing substantial fines for such acts. As of 2011, penalties reached $10,000 CAD (about $7,700 USD) in Canada and $25,000 USD (around $32,800 CAD) in the United States.

Bobby Leach

Bobby Leach, born in Lancaster, England in 1858, became the second person—and the first man—to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel. He completed the dangerous stunt on July 25, 1911, nearly a decade after Annie Edson Taylor’s historic descent in 1901. The fall left Leach seriously injured, with a fractured jaw and both kneecaps broken, requiring a six-month hospital stay for recovery.

Leach was no stranger to danger. A former performer with the Barnum and Bailey Circus, he had a history of daring feats. In one instance, after witnessing another stuntman die attempting a 150-foot dive into a pool only five feet deep, Leach successfully made the same jump. Before his plunge over the falls, he owned a restaurant on Bridge Street, where he often claimed he could outdo Annie Taylor’s legendary feat.

Charles Stevens

Charles Stephens, known as the “Demon Barber of Bedminster,” was an English barber and daredevil born in 1862. He became the first person to die attempting to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. As the third person—and second man—to try the dangerous stunt, Stephens hoped to support his large family, which included his wife Annie and their 11 children, by performing high-risk acts. Originally based in Bristol, he later moved to Ferndale in the Rhondda Valleys, continuing his work as a barber.

Viewing the Niagara stunt as a promising financial opportunity, Stephens attempted the descent over the Horseshoe Falls in an oak barrel on July 11, 1920. He added an anvil for weight and, against the advice of experienced daredevils Bobby Leach and William “Red” Hill Sr., skipped testing the barrel beforehand. He also made the fatal decision to strap his feet to the anvil inside the barrel. When the anvil smashed through the bottom during the fall, Stephens was pulled under the water and killed. Only his right arm was ever recovered; it was later buried at Drummond Hill Cemetery in Niagara Falls, Ontario. In 1994, over seven decades after his death, he was posthumously awarded a Darwin Award.

Jean Lussier

Jean Lussier relocated to Akron, Ohio, where he partnered with a rubber company to create what he believed was the ideal craft for surviving a plunge over Niagara Falls—a rubber sphere. The ball measured about six feet (182 centimeters) in diameter and was reinforced with steel bands to help it withstand the immense force of the falls. Inside, it was equipped with oxygen tanks, tubes, and valves designed to keep him alive for up to 40 hours in case he became trapped behind or beneath the waterfall, similar to what had happened to Charles Stephens. To minimize uncontrolled spinning or rolling, the ball was also fitted with solid rubber stabilizers. The entire project cost Lussier approximately $7,000.

On July 4, 1928, at the age of 36, Jean Lussier launched his daring attempt to go over Niagara Falls. After evading authorities, he rowed his rubber sphere roughly 3.2 kilometers (about 2 miles) upstream from the edge of Horseshoe Falls before beginning his descent. As the ball neared the brink, it struck rocks on the riverbed, tearing off its largest external stabilizer. At 3:35 p.m., Lussier plunged over the falls. The impact caused significant damage to the ball’s internal tubing and structure, but it remained intact. By 4:23 p.m., the craft was retrieved, and Lussier emerged with only minor bruises. His successful stunt placed him alongside Annie Edson Taylor and Bobby Leach as one of the few to survive the treacherous drop—marking the third successful attempt and the fourth overall, including the fatal try by Charles Stephens.

Karel Soucek (daredevil)

Karel was a Czech-born stuntman based in Canada, known for his daring feats. In 1984, he successfully went over Niagara Falls inside a barrel. Tragically, he died the following year from injuries he suffered during a stunt at the Houston Astrodome.

To prepare for his 1984 Niagara Falls stunt, Karel Soucek conducted extensive research on previous daredevil attempts. He tested the water currents by sending unmanned barrels over the falls and assessed his barrel’s shock resistance by dropping it from the Niagara Escarpment in Hamilton. His custom-designed barrel measured 9 feet (2.7 meters) in length and 5 feet (1.5 meters) in diameter. Painted bright red, it was emblazoned with the phrases: “Last of the Niagara Daredevils – 1984” and “It’s not whether you fail or triumph, it’s that you keep your word… and at least try!”

On July 2, 1984, Soucek climbed inside the barrel, which was launched into the Niagara River roughly 1,000 feet (300 meters) upstream from the edge of Horseshoe Falls. Within moments, the current carried it over the brink. Although he emerged bleeding from the ordeal, Soucek survived the plunge.

Soucek was issued a $500 fine for carrying out the stunt without proper authorization. He had invested $15,000 in materials and construction, along with an additional $30,000 to document the event on film. Despite the hefty expenses, he quickly recouped his investment through media appearances and footage sales.

Steven Trotter

Steven Trotter was an American stuntman known for going over Niagara Falls in a barrel at the age of 24, making him the youngest person to survive the feat at that time. He was among the rare few to complete the dangerous stunt twice and was also involved in other unauthorized high-risk performances. Trotter passed away unexpectedly in 2022.

Although he had been intercepted by Niagara Parks police just two days earlier, Steven Trotter proceeded with his stunt on the morning of August 18, 1985. At 8:30 a.m., his team of 11 people released his barrel into the rapids of the Niagara River, approximately a quarter-mile from the edge of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Trotter successfully went over the falls and emerged with only minor cuts and bruises. Reflecting on the experience, he described it as “like the best roller-coaster ride you had as a 10-year-old.” For performing the stunt without permission, he was fined $500 by the Niagara Parks Police for “illegally stunting in a park.”

On June 18, 1995, Steven Trotter repeated his daring feat, becoming only the second person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls twice. This time, he was joined by Lori Martin. The barrel they used was constructed from two welded-together water heater tanks and was equipped with enough air to sustain both occupants for 90 minutes.

The stunt left Trotter with a compression fracture in his back. In addition to his injuries, he was sentenced to two weeks in jail and fined $14,700 by the Niagara Parks Commission for the unauthorized act.

Read about Niagara Falls Old Scow

Read the update about Old Scow