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Girl dies after fall from Ferris wheel

By Katie Silver, CNN
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Girl dies after fall from Ferris wheel
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • 11-year-old girl fell Friday afternoon
  • She was on a school trip
  • The cause of the fall is unknown
  • The ride passed state inspection in March
RELATED TOPICS
  • New Jersey

(CNN) -- An 11-year-old girl died Friday after falling from a Ferris wheel while on a class trip to an amusement park in New Jersey, police said.

Abiah Jones fell at Morey Piers Mariner's Landing Pier about 12:30 p.m., according to the Wildwood Police Department.

First responders gave her first aid and took her to Cape Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead about 1:15 p.m., according to police.

The girl was riding one of the park's main attractions, "The Great Wheel." At 156 feet, it's one of the tallest wheels on the East Coast, according to Morey Piers spokeswoman Lindsey Young.

The cause of the girl's fall was unknown and the Wildwood police and the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office continue to investigate.

The Carnival Amusement Inspectors of New Jersey were also on the scene Friday afternoon conducting their own investigation, police said.

It is the first time someone has fallen from the ride since it opened in 1985 and the park has suffered no other guest fatality, Young said.

The ride was inspected by the state in March and passed, Young said.