A planned balloon drop was disrupted by a wholly different fall for a “Noon Year’s Eve” celebration involving toy construction blocks that resulted in “pure chaos,” injuring nearly a dozen people.
(Video Credit: WBZ-TV)
Tuesday in Peabody, Massachusetts, the local “In The Game” entertainment center was hosting its annual midday New Year’s Eve event which was meant to include a balloon drop. However, crowd enthusiasm combined with anchor integrity issues as a tug on the netting sent an arcade game constructed of what was said to be Legos tumbling down some 12 feet onto attendees.
Advertised as an “EPIC time full of family-friendly fun!” guests were left heading for the exit when, as detailed by a statement on Facebook by the Peabody Police Department, “Earlier today, a display was pulled down by balloons attached to it, causing it to fall.”
“Ten individuals sustained minor injuries,” continued the police. “Eight were transported to the hospital for treatment, while two refused medical transport.”
The Peabody Fire Department confirmed to WBZ-TV that someone had pulled on the netting when the drop had commenced at noon Tuesday, resulting in the display tipping onto the guests.
All told, of the ten people injured by the collapse, six were children and four were adults. Of those, eight were transported to either Salem Hospital or Lahey Medical Center for treatment of “‘minor’ scrapes and cuts.”
Peabody Fire Department Chief John Dowling informed NBC News, “Everyone is OK.”
“Large Lego pieces were everywhere, kids were crying, there were tons of people all in the office, some with ice packs over their heads and people allowing their children to steal the Lego pieces like souvenirs,” attendee Lawren Turco had told WBZ-TV. “It was pure chaos. I had no idea of the true events until after the incident.”
“We watched the entire balloon drop and had no idea anything happened until we were going to leave promptly following the balloon drop,” she said.
“I saw everybody starting to leave out the exit doors and I was sort of scared for the people and felt sorry for them,” said Keegan Oblenes while his brother Korbin told the outlet, “The kid next to me got hurt, and got in the ambulance.”
Following the incident, the arcade was temporarily closed only to re-open for business a short time later. Addressing the unexpected collapse, “In the Game’s” vice president of marketing Scott Brown said, “We’re currently working with the authorities as the situation is being assessed. We can say that it was not a structure collapse.”
As reactions poured in and reports indicated that no one had been seriously injured from the incident, one social media user quipped amid statements of gratitude, “It’s okay as long as they don’t step on them barefoot.”
It’s okay as long as they don’t step on them barefoot.
— GP (@BasedBuns) January 1, 2025
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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