The ride operator stopped the attraction after receiving word that a rider was in distress.
That’s when Matthew Howard Sr. and a group of others passing below jumped to save the girl’s life—a dramatic rescue that was caught on camera.
The 47-year-old was visiting The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom with his daughter Leeann Winchell when they heard screams from the gondola above them.
They looked up to see the 14-year-old girl nearly all the way off of the ride, and her younger brother clinging to her shirt—panicking that he couldn’t hold onto her any longer.
Matthew and his daughter positioned themselves below the siblings before shouting up to the young girl and instructing her to let go.
“It’s OK! It’s OK to let go, I’ll catch you, honey. I’m not going to let you fall,” Matthew ensured the girl.
A crowd gathered and finally the girl let go—trusting her life to a group of strangers 25 feet below.
After striking a tree limb on the way down, the girl landed safely in the arms of Matthew and the good samaritans who were desperate to see the teen survive.
Matthew did suffer a back injury and was knocked to the ground in the process, but he says, “I couldn’t let that girl die.”
She was taken to Albany Medical Center with no major injuries and is reported to have been in stable condition.
It remains unclear how the girl found herself dangling. After thorough inspection, officials say the ride is in working order and proper safety equipment is intact.
Thank God for the willingness of random strangers to risk their own safety for a young girl in a terrifying situation.
