Michael Sergio began jumping from heights in his mid-20s. Along with his friend and mentor Owen Quinn, he started parachuting from airplanes before moving on to more dangerous stunts – like jumping off the North Tower of the World Trade, before it was even completed. Sergio and Quinn’s jump and their subsequent arrest brought enough publicity to make them household names. Sergio decided to parlay that notoriety into yet another risky, illegal, and completely unforgettable stunt – he would parachute into New York’s Shea Stadium during Game Six of the World Series in October 1986.

On this day, December 19, in 1986, Sergio was sentenced in a plea deal to a small fine and community service.

The FAA took interest in Sergio’s pilot more than Sergio himself. Because Shea stadium is so close to LaGuardia airport, flights over the stadium could have endangered commercial traffic. The FAA would no doubt make an example of the pilot, but Sergio obstinately refused to give away the name, and for that, he was sentenced in a separate case to six months of prison.