Russian acrobat lights himself on fire, jumps off roof then gets arrested

A Russian acrobat has been filmed lighting himself on fire before plunging nine floors onto a bed of snow below.

But the stunt did not go as planned for Alexander Chernikov, who was arrested on landing and later hospitalised with burns to his body.

Chernikov's team strategically piled a lump of snow on the ground to cushion his fall and to smother the flames.

Footage shows the daredevil douse his trousers in petrol and setting them alight while standing at the roof's edge in the town of Novoaltaysk, Altai Krai.

A small crowd watches on cautiously from the ground below as Chernikov topples off the edge, arms flailing.

He hits the snow with a thud and can be heard groaning as people rush to his aid.

A police officer can be seen pulling Chernikov to his feet before escorting the acrobat away.

This is not the first time Chernikov has made headlines in Russia after uploading video of a similar jump from the roof of a six-storey building.

Author: Chloe Ross, Approving editor: Simon Black
Source: YouTube