Autistic Man Free Falls on YouTube to End Bullying

A New York autism advocate has launched a nationwide campaign with a YouTube video that shows him free-falling from the sky to call for an end to bullying.

Jesse Saperstein, who has Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, has suffered bullying from peers since he was a child in school.

By recently jumping from an airplane and posting the feat on the video-sharing site, Saperstein, 29, an author and motivational speaker, said he wanted to inspire others with autism—and all young people who have been bullied—to break free from the torment of bullying.

In a statement, Saperstein said he's not suggesting that everyone jump out of a plane. Rather, he is urging both children and adults to find their own unique way to become heroic.

According to Saperstein, the video is the first of its kind to feature a person with autism skydiving or doing an extreme sport and the first to feature children with autism sharing their personal experiences with bullying. Already, the video has more than 4,500 views.

"It feels great to have finally witnessed the end of my torment after a lifetime of not knowing anything else," Saperstein said in the 13-minute video. "Now I understand there is the power to fly."

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