Illinois State Fairgoers Jump Into Action To Rescue 3-Year-Old From Sky Glide Ride

The fair is fun, but it can also be scary.

There are a lot of cool rides at the fair but we've heard near-horror stories and seen the videos of fair and amusement park rides getting stuck or malfunctioning. Unfortunately, something like that happened at the Illinois State Fair.

WCIA reports that a 3-year-old boy was saved by fairgoers around the Sky Glide ride on Sunday afternoon. It is a ski-lift-like thing that sends riders across a series of high cables, according to Lift Blog.

Hailey Townsley, the boy's mother, said they boarded the ride, it began to rise, and her son squirmed, slipping under the safety bar. She immediately yelled at the operator to stop the ride and after about a minute, the ride paused.

She held onto her son as a crowd formed underneath. The crowd lifted a woman in the air, who grabbed Hailey's son and lowered him to the ground. This photo was posted the day of the incident.

Hailey estimates she held onto her son as he was dangling over the edge for about 5-6 minutes. She said she's "forever thankful" for the people that helped save her son.

Illinois State Fair officials and the Illinois Department of Labor told WCIA about the incident:

The Illinois State Fair takes fairgoer safety seriously, and we are thankful that no one was harmed during this isolated incident.

Meanwhile, there are a few days left of the 2025 fair. The Illinois State Fair started on August 7th and is going through August 17th.