A carnival ride malfunctioned at St. John the Beloved’s annual carnival Tuesday night, leaving people trapped on the Zipper ride for hours.
First responders were notified of the incident at the church just before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday when someone who was at the carnival radioed in about the accident in Milltown.
“One of the area rides broke, there’s two cars stuck together about 30 feet off the ground,” the man radioed. He added that a hack saw would be needed, but wasn’t immediately sure if there were any injuries.
One of the cages appeared to break off its hinge, falling down past three other ride cages into the center of the ride and leaving those in the cages trapped.
The ride was immediately shut down and first responders rushed to the scene with various ways to try and reach the riders, including a large, extendable fire truck ladder, which some children were walked down to safety. At least one person was taken away on a stretcher, though the extent of injuries was immediately unclear Tuesday night.
By about 10 p.m., more than a dozen fire and EMS units from several different agencies were on the scene, according to first responder radio communications. At least four ambulances were also called to the scene for precautionary measures.
The carnival, held at the church at 905 Milltown Road, opened Monday and was slated to run through Saturday, June 10. Tuesday was designated as “Family Night.”
It’s immediately unclear if it will reopen Wednesday.
