Four people were injured when a decorative helicopter came crashing down into a pool inside New Jersey's American Dream mall over the weekend.
The incident took place Sunday afternoon, according to NBC News. Troopers responded to reports that visitors were "injured by a decorative prop that had fallen from the ceiling" at the DreamWorks Water Park in East Rutherford just after 3 p.m., the New Jersey State Police said in a statement.
The structure was suspended from the ceiling above a kiddy pool area and somehow detached, visitors said. According to the American Dream website, the section of the park where the display fell was the "The Penguins Frozen Fun Zone," which is designed for toddlers.
Details of those injured have not been released; however, one person had to be taken to a hospital while the other three were treated at the scene, according to multiple reports. None of the injuries was life-threatening.
Video footage shared on social media shows the moments of panic and concern after the decorative helicopter fell, landing upside down in the water pool.
"A large helicopter display fell on to a kiddy pool and slide area! Chaos soon after," Angel Sanchez tweeted shortly after the incident. "The sound was scary then the screaming from parents and kids."
Another social media user who witnessed the crash said they initially thought it was a slide that collapsed.
"I hope people who got injured are okay now," they added.
A third witness described the event as "incredibly terrifying" on social media while another recalled the loud noise, writing that it sounded like "one of the rides collapsed."
The park was closed for the rest of the day and remained closed as of Monday morning, reported NJ.com.
"The safety of our guests is our highest priority," American Dream officials said in the statement. "We will conduct a thorough investigation into this incident to ensure the park meets all safety regulations as required."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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