Two 13-year-olds have been accused of causing a ride at a county fair to malfunction after deputies said that their deliberate actions led to it becoming unstable and out of control. Footage of the incident, which saw several riders injured, has since been shared online and shows people colliding and swinging violently on the ride.
According to WCSC, a sheriff’s spokesperson said that the two teens had been warned before boarding the ride at the Columbia County Fall Fair in Grovetown, Georgia, not to grab hold of each other while the ride was moving. The video, captured by a mother who claimed her children were on the ride at the time, appeared to show two riders on separate swings, holding on to one another.
Authorities believed that the two teenagers had deliberately ignored the warning from staff. It’s believed that their actions resulted in the whole ride becoming unstable.
As the video goes on, the ride can be seen appearing to malfunction as it slows down, with riders colliding with one another and others being swung at speed. One rider’s seat also appeared to break off, sending them flying. A woman was reportedly injured when swings collided and left the fair in an ambulance. Two other children were also treated for minor injuries at the scene.
Eyewitnesses described the injuries
Kristen Murphy, a mother who said her two teens were on the ride during the incident, said that she wanted to get her children off the ride when she saw what was happening. “This ride has to stop,” she said. “My kids are on it. Something’s happening. I need to get to them.”
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Murphy also recalled what her husband had told her after she saw one of the riders be thrown from the ride. “He said, ‘Well, from my perspective, being far back, it looked like pure chaos. It looked like the ride was going to fly apart.’”
Murphy claimed that her husband and other parents rushed to the control panel to help slow it down. After the ride had stopped and she reached her children, Murphy said she noticed that other people were injured. “Once we did get it stopped and I was able to get to my kids, that’s when we noticed that there were some pretty severe injuries.” She said she later approached law enforcement to offer a statement but claimed she did not see much urgency.
WCSC reported that the two teens who ignored staff instructions not to hold on to one another were later handed paperwork that described their charges. According to the Sheriff’s office, the teens were then allowed to leave with their parents.
Published: Nov 9, 2026 04:15 pm