Teen Jumps Off Chair Lift to Escape Storm

New Jersey's Melanie Rossomando is OK
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 10, 2012 1:45 PM CDT

New Jersey's Melanie Rossomando became a YouTube sensation for her 17th birthday, though not by choice. A video shows the teen jumping off a chair lift at a beachside amusement park over the weekend as a storm rolled in and the power stopped. She kicked off her shoes and dropped 35 feet to the sand but escaped serious injury, reports NBC New York. Her friend stayed in the chair and was eventually rescued.

"We freaked out," explains Melanie. "My friend looked at me and she was like, 'We have to jump.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, yeah. We're jumping. That's it, I'm not staying on here. It's a metal death trap." Her dad, noting that a woman was struck and killed by lightning the same day in the state, applauded his daughter's "gut instinct." (More New Jersey stories.)

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