A concerning event occurred on the Jersey Shore when a toddler fell from a boardwalk ride at Casino Pier in Seaside Heights. The incident involved a 2-year-old girl who fell from the Sky Ride, a chairlift-style attraction, before it began moving.
The fall happened at approximately 7:40 p.m. The child landed on an entrance platform and then onto the sand. A 3-year-old boy remained on the ride during the incident, and Casino Pier staff promptly shut down the attraction. Emergency services used a ladder to assist the boy in getting off the ride.
Fire Chief Tim Farrell explained that the ride sits about 10 to 12 feet above the boardwalk. Both the girl and her aunt were taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River for a medical check-up.
Police indicated that the Sky Ride showed no signs of malfunction, and it seemed to be operating correctly. The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs is conducting an investigation as part of its oversight of amusement ride inspections and licensing.
Coasterpedia, an amusement park database, notes that the Sky Ride was manufactured by Borvig and became operational at Casino Pier in 1983.
This incident is part of a series of amusement park ride scares reported recently across the United States. In one case, a woman in Colorado sustained severe injuries after reportedly being ejected from a roller coaster. Meanwhile, in Texas, a ride at Six Flags was stopped at 200 feet in the air after a passenger used a cellphone.