10-Year-Old Girl Dies After Being Thrown From Ride at Festival

A 10-year-old girl has died after she was thrown from an amusement ride at a festival in South Jersey, according to police.

The girl was at the Deerfield Township Harvest Festival Saturday and got on the Wisdom Super Sizzler ride, New Jersey State Police said on Facebook. Just after 6 p.m., she was ejected and sustained serious injuries.

She was airlifted to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead just after 7 p.m. New Jersey police said it is investigating the incident.

Deerfield Township Harvest Festival wrote on Facebook that it would be open Sunday "to offer a place for the community to come together in wake of this tragedy." However, the rides games were closed and the parade was canceled.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with her family," it wrote.

The ride operator, Skelly's Amusements, was initially allowed to run other rides at the festival. But the company said on Facebook that "we don't have it in our heart." Skelly's issued refunds for purchased tickets.

"We are absolutely heartbroken. Words cannot express our feelings and we extend our deepest sympathies to the individual’s family and loved ones," Skelly's wrote. "We are fully cooperating with the investigation being conducted by the State Police and the Carnival and Amusement Ride unit within the Department of Community Affairs."

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