Daredevil Base jumper shocks passers-by in London with leap from The Shard

Bystanders around London Bridge station were left with a mixture of shock and awe as a mystery parachutist chose to sky-dive from one of the capital's tallest buildings, The Shard, evading the authorities as they hit the ground. The death-defying stunt happened this morning and left commuters and tourists alike open-mouthed.

Footage of the incident at Western Europe's tallest building, captured on a passer-by's mobile phone shows the adrenaline junkie appear hundreds of feet in the air and then disappear behind an adjacent building. The jumper had apparently made the leap from the 1,016ft-high (309.6m) skyscraper. The individual landed in St Thomas Street, which runs between the Shard and Guy's Hospital.

It is not sure how the Base jumper reached the summit of the heavily-protected building joint-owned by Sellar Property group and the State of Qatar.

Henry Woolway, an art director who was involved in shooting a series for Netflix clos eby told the Daily Mail: "I saw him jump before the parachute opened. I didn't see him jump from The Shard, but he was definitely higher than all the surrounding buildings."

Police said that no one was injured as a result of the daredevil stunt. A message on the official Twitter page of The Shard a message read: "We can confirm that we are investigating an incident involving a member of the public this morning. All parts of the building remain open."

A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed that officers were called to the area around the building at 10.18am, but said that no arrests had been made. The jump is thought to be the first of its kind since the building opened on 1 February 2013.

In 2012, while the tower was still being built, Essex roofer Dan Witchalls jumped from various heights of the building four times.