According to Stockholm police, the man sustained serious injuries after missing a large fall protection airbag laid out by emergency workers near a 12 story apartment building in the Grimsta neighbourhood of Vällingby, northwest of Stockholm.

When the man jumped, one firefighter has been near the other end of the balcony for several minutes in a basket attached to a ladder extended from a fire truck, according to a Scanpix photographer who witnessed the ordeal.

The photographer’s picture show how the man sat on the edge of the balcony while the firefighter was waiting just a few metres away in the basket.

Below the balcony emergency services had laid out a large airbag, but when the man jumped he missed the bag and suffered severe injuries.

The man was taken to hospital but later died from his injuries.

After the fire was extinguished, police decided to launch in investigation into carelessness endangering the public.

“It’s usually associated with leaving the kettle on, smoking in bed, and things like that,” said police spokesperson Ann-Charlotte Wejnäs to the TT news agency.

Wejnäs refused to say whether the suspicions were directed at the man who jumped, nor could she say whether there were others in the apartment.

“But our fire investigators are going to examine the scene of the fire and should they find something it’s likely that the classification of the fire will be changed from crime of negligence to a crime of intent,” she said.

Police also reported that several people in the building were suffering from shock and were in need of assistance. Healthcare workers on the scene were exploring available options for providing care for those in need.

Emergency crews managed to put out the fire before it spread to other apartments in the building.

“But a fair amount of smoke has spread,” emergency services spokesperson Håkan Dahlbäck told TT.

Dahlbäck didn’t have any information about the man injured in the jump.

“I only know that one person was taken to hospital,” he said.