Two-Year-Old Girl Falls from Amusement Park Ride in Terrifying Incident

A terrifying scene unfolded at a popular Jersey Shore amusement park when a 2-year-old girl fell from a chairlift-style ride, prompting an emergency shutdown and a dramatic rescue of another young child left in the chair.

The incident happened around 7:40 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31, on Casino Pier’s Sky Ride in Seaside Heights, New Jersey.

The toddler was riding with her 31-year-old aunt and a 3-year-old boy when she apparently failed to get properly settled in the chair and tumbled from the ride before it had fully lifted away from the boarding area, according to an updated account from officials.

The little girl reportedly struck or landed near the edge of the ride’s entrance platform before falling into the sand below.

Early reports offered slightly different accounts of exactly how the incident unfolded. Police initially said the girl’s aunt jumped from the ride after seeing her niece fall, while another account said the woman got off the chair to rush to the child’s aid.

Either way, the frightening fall left the 3-year-old boy still sitting in the chair as Casino Pier employees immediately stopped the Sky Ride.

The Seaside Heights Fire Department was called to the scene, where firefighters, police and amusement park workers used a ladder to safely remove the boy from the suspended chair.

Fire Chief Tim Farrell said the chair was approximately 10 to 12 feet above the boardwalk when crews reached the child.

The boy was brought down safely and was not injured.

Emergency medical workers also examined the 2-year-old girl and her aunt at the scene. Neither reportedly complained of pain or showed obvious signs of injury.

The toddler and her aunt were nevertheless taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River for further evaluation as a precaution. Authorities said the children and their aunt are from Bridgeton, New Jersey.

Despite the frightening incident, police said an initial inspection found no apparent mechanical problems with the Sky Ride and no obvious defects that would suggest the attraction had malfunctioned.

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, which oversees the inspection and licensing of amusement rides in the state, is now investigating exactly what happened.

The Sky Ride is a longtime Casino Pier attraction that carries riders in open chairlift-style seats above the famous Seaside Heights Boardwalk. The ride was built by Borvig and has operated at Casino Pier since 1983.

For now, authorities have not indicated that a mechanical failure caused the toddler’s fall.

What began as an evening at the Jersey Shore ended with a terrifying scare for the family, but remarkably, authorities said the children and their aunt escaped without serious injuries.