A canopy release assembly comprising a riser, a webbing stopper attached to said riser, a harness, and a release body assembly attached to the harness. The release body comprises a body frame attached to the harness, a clamp pivotally attached to the body frame and having a clamp bar, a latch pivotally attached to the body frame and having a lanyard, and a safety cover pivotally attached relative to the body frame. A method for attaching the canopy release assembly to the riser comprises inserting a webbing stopper through a gap in the clamp having a dimension G1 pivoting the clamp such that G1 narrows to a dimension G2 narrower than the thickness T of the webbing stopper, retaining said webbing stopper in a cage cavity.