Video shows crowd stabilizing out-of-control carnival ride
Viral videos captured the moment festival-goers in Michigan had to rush to prevent an out-of-control carnival ride from falling over while passengers were on board on Thursday night.
The incident took place at Traverse City’s National Cherry Festival, witnesses say, and several people posted videos that show the Magic Carpet carnival ride — which features a row of seats attached to a large, swinging pendulum — as it suddenly began to rock forward and backward.
Arnold Amusements, the company that runs the carnival rides, says on its website that the Magic Carpet takes people 50 feet into the air.
Several people in the videos can be heard screaming as the posts that hold the ride’s platform to the ground appear to suddenly become loose. The entire platform begins tilting back and forth as the passengers continue to swing, and someone who had been sitting on the ride’s platform jumps off.
That’s when festival-goers rushed in to help. At least a dozen can be seen running towards the ride and jumping up on the platform to hold it down and prevent it from tipping backwards.
According to the video, it took several minutes for the ride to come to a complete stop so passengers could safely get off. More than a dozen passengers could be seen on board, including children.
No injuries have been reported.
The National Cherry Festival and Arnold Amusements could not be immediately reached for comment. As of early Saturday afternoon, festival organizers had not posted information about the incident on their website or social media pages.