Panic broke out at Hersheypark on Saturday when a young boy separated from his parents was spotted walking along a monorail track nearly 100 feet above the ground.
Video from the incident shows stunned guests gathering below, shouting and waving their arms in an effort to guide the child toward safety. On a nearby rooftop, a man stretched out his arms, ready to catch the boy if he fell.
“Go to him now!” one bystander can be heard yelling just before the man leapt onto the tracks in an attempt to reach the boy.
According to park officials, the child had been reported missing around 5 p.m. As crews searched, he managed to slip into a secure monorail area. He stayed at the station for nearly 20 minutes before beginning to walk the track.
Eventually, a park guest climbed onto the rail and rescued him. Hersheypark said the boy was unharmed and reunited with his parents at approximately 5:30 p.m. Officials confirmed the monorail was closed at the time, with a chained gate and barricaded turnstile blocking its entrance.
“We are grateful for the vigilance of our guests and the swift response of our team, and we remain committed to maintaining the highest levels of guest safety throughout Hersheypark,” the park said in a statement to ABC 7.
The near-tragedy comes only weeks after the death of 9-year-old Sophia Subedi, who drowned in the Boardwalk wave pool. Witnesses said the third-grader’s “limp” body was pulled from the water as crowds looked on.
