N.J. reports on Ferris wheel death

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TRENTON, N.J., June 14 (UPI) -- A girl who fell to her death from a Ferris wheel at a Jersey Shore amusement pier probably did something that caused the accident, a state report says.

The New Jersey Carnival and Amusement Ride Safety Unit recommended riders should not be alone in gondolas on Ferris wheels and similar rides, the Philadelphia Daily News reported.

Abiah Jones, 11, of Pleasantville, N.J., was on a school outing to Morey's Piers in Wildwood on June 3 when she was killed. She fell about 100 feet from the Giant Wheel.

No witnesses reported seeing her just before the fall. But investigators with the safety unit said falling would be highly unlikely for a properly seated rider but might happen if someone knelt or stood on the seat or leaned over the railing too far.

"The fact that Abiah Jones was alone in the gondola without any nearby passengers may have led her to take a risk that she would have been convinced not to take if there were other riders in the gondola," the report said.