Pair Take Plunge, Have a Barrel of Fun

NIAGARA FALLS — Two Canadian men on Wednesday became the first two people to ride over Niagara Falls together in a single barrel and the eighth and ninth to survive the trip, officials said.

Peter DeBernardi of Niagara Falls and Jeffrey Petkovich of Ottawa suffered “very, very minor cuts and scrapes” during their ride in a 10-foot metal container over the 176-foot Horseshoe Falls, said Constable David Jahns of Niagara Parks Police.

“They were quite excited that they made it successfully,” Jahns said. “I would never do it myself.” Jahns said DeBernardi, 42, and Petkovich, 25, entered the Niagara River about 100 yards from the brink of the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side of the border.