Deck Collapses Under US Marshals Serving Sex-Offender Warrant
Deck Collapses Under US Marshals Serving Sex-Offender Warrant
The News
Nine armed law officers fell to the ground when a second-floor wooden deck collapsed under them as they tried to serve an arrest warrant on a convicted sex offender in Missouri.
Four deputy US Marshals and five Randolph County sheriff's deputies were on the deck at the home of Jacob Alexander Munoz when it detached from the house, according to bodycam footage obtained by NBC News.
Five of the deputies were hospitalized with broken bones, torn muscles and concussions. All nine avoided more serious injuries, authorities said.
Timeline
The federal task force and local police set out that morning with 30 warrants for convicted sex offenders who had failed to register their addresses, part of a multiweek operation called Operation Adam's Watch. Munoz, 26, convicted of child pornography possession, was on the list after he stopped reporting to his parole officer.
The task force swarms the second-floor deck of Munoz's home. The wooden decking detaches from the house and drops the heavily armed officers to the ground, trapping them in a pile of beams. Other officers climb into the rubble to pull them out. Munoz is not in the apartment; he later surrenders to authorities.
NBC News publishes the bodycam video of the collapse, and the footage spreads across outlets from the New York Post to The Independent, TMZ and Mediaite.
Reactions
Steven Lewis, the US marshal for the Eastern District of Missouri, told NBC News the outcome could have been far worse: "When I saw that video and at the scene saw the length of decking that had collapsed, it's a miracle they weren't more seriously injured."
US Marshals Assistant Chief James Tapp credited training for the fact that no weapon went off in the fall. "The fact that they hit the ground in two seconds and there was no accidental discharge of any firearms — that shows the training and discipline of the task force officers and deputies that were involved," Tapp said.
What's Next
Munoz is in custody after surrendering to authorities. The warrant against him stemmed from his failure to register his address and report to his parole officer.
Five injured deputies are recovering from broken bones, torn muscles and concussions sustained in the fall.
More
Operation Adam's Watch is named for Adam Walsh, the 6-year-old boy who was abducted and murdered in Florida in 1981. The July 21 sweep in Randolph County was one piece of that multiweek enforcement push, which targeted 30 convicted sex offenders who had not registered their addresses.
Charleston White Arrested Again on Florida Battery Charge
Border Patrol Rescues MS NOW Crew in Desert
Sep 13, 2026
Supreme Court Restores Missouri's Old House Map
Sep 13, 2026
Alaska Drops Felony Voter Charges Against Samoans
Sep 13, 2026
Trespasser Breaches Harris' Malibu Estate; No Arrest
Sep 12, 2026
Hegseth Pressed Downed Airmen Into 60 Minutes
Sep 12, 2026
Houthis Seize Mokha, Choking Saudi Oil Exports
Sep 12, 2026
Altman Rules Out OpenAI IPO This Year
Sep 12, 2026
Jury Acquits Lil Durk in Murder-for-Hire Case
Sep 12, 2026
Judge: Trump Broke Law Halving FEMA Staff
Sep 12, 2026
Maher Calls Democrats' Gaza Genocide Claim a Lie
Sep 12, 2026
Blizzard Revives StarCraft, Sends Diablo to Netflix
Sep 12, 2026
Trump's Queens Childhood Home Sells for $1.93M
Sep 12, 2026
Scientists Find New Virus in Tick Invading US
Sep 12, 2026
Britain Bans Settlement Imports; US States Threaten Payback
Sep 12, 2026
Prison Fire Kills 7 as Kurds Protest Killing
Sep 12, 2026
Kosovo Rallies for Ex-President Before Hague Verdict
Sep 12, 2026
Cruz Booed at GameDay Over College Sports Bill
Sep 12, 2026
Blast Hits Bulgarian Arms Plant Supplying Ukraine
Sep 12, 2026
DOJ Loses Nearly Every Protester Assault Trial
Sep 12, 2026
Sep 13, 2026