Diving Off Headlands' Fairport Harbor Lighthouse Could Lead to Fines

For Jordan Brunstetter, 17, jumping off the pier at the Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse at Headlands Beach is both exciting and frightening.

“The first time I went I thought it was scary because you don’t know where the rocks are,” said Brunstetter, who has jumped off three times. “But it’s so fun. I just ran and did it and screamed the whole way down.”

When Brunstetter took the roughly 12-foot plunge last year, her wallet and record could have as well.

It’s a crime to take that plunge.

“People can be cited [for jumping off the pier] and that could lead to jail time,” Lake County Sheriff Dan Dunlap said.

First-time offenders can be cited for trespassing, which has a maximum penalty of a $2,500 fine and a year in jail, said Petty Officer Levi Read of the Ninth Coast Guard District.

Those consequences may be a draw for some risk-takers.

“That’s the rush— you’re doing something kind of illegal,” Brunstetter said. “But everyone jumps off of it.”

Both the coast guard and sheriff’s office patrol the lighthouse, which lies on the eastern edge of the beach and is in Painesville Township.

“I know what the attraction is for young people to do it,” Dunlap said. “They’ve been doing it since the lighthouse has been there, but it’s dangerous.”

Among the dangers are the rocks along the pier shifting, strong currents and bad weather, Dunlap said.

“There are plenty of safe places to swim at Headlands. There’s no reason to risk life and limb by jumping off the lighthouse,” he said. 

While Brunstetter is aware of the risk and penalties, she said she’d be willing to jump off again.