A Man Is Fighting for His Life After Chasing Monkey That Stole His Steelers Hat

A man fell 33 feet from a roof after chasing a monkey that had taken his favorite Pittsburgh Steelers hat.

Charles LeClaire
Image via USA Today Sports
Charles LeClaire

In perhaps the most strange and sad story you will read today, a man fell 33 feet from a roof after chasing a monkey that had taken his favorite Pittsburgh Steelers hat. The man, Jeff "Swede" Swedenhjelm, took the fall on Monday.

Swedenhjelm is from Florida and now lives in Bali. Villagers who saw Swedenhjelm took him to a nearby hospital. He was diagnosed with severe damage to his spinal cord and, at the moment, is paralyzed from the chest down.

"Swede" is known by others as the life of the party, according to the Northwest Florida Daily News. His family is currently trying to raise money to get him to Singapore, where the medical care is superior. 

"Our utmost concern is to get Swede out of Bali and into a country with a spinal specialist," said his daughter, Lyric Swedenhjelm.

Lyric said her father is on a ventilator and in a medically induced coma. She added that he does not have medical insurance or funds to pay for the care, though he does have friends by his side, Lyric told the Daily News.

"He has a great team of friends that have been by his side," she said. "He’s very popular, a social guy, always out and about organizing parties and events."

The family is raising money for Swede's care through GoFundMe. The goal is to raise $100,000, and the fund currently has over $42,000 contributed.

"All I want for Christmas or my birthday is for my dad to get this surgery as soon as possible," said Lyric, who is in college and turns 21 Tuesday.

We're pulling for a speedy recovery.

Latest in Sports