There's nothing quite like a day with the family at an amusement park. The food, thrill rides, rollercoasters, and rescuing a lost kid that wandered onto a monorail track that was thirty feet off the ground.
Okay, that last one doesn't normally come with the price of admission, but that's where a man found himself on Saturday afternoon at Hershey Park in Pennsylvania. A 9-year-old autistic boy had wandered away from his parents and became lost. He walked along the elevated tracks of the park's monorail train. A crowd of concerned onlookers gathered on the ground below the tracks, and not realizing the boy was autistic, began to yell at him to get down. The well-intended crowd appeared to scare and confuse the child as he covered his ears with his hands and began to pace on the edge of the tracks. The boy's situation was looking perilous when a park guest, by the name of John Sampson (unconfirmed), climbed a nearby building to get onto the track and safely grabbed the child as the crowd erupted in applause. A couple of other men, who have not been identified, had climbed up behind John, and the boy was safely passed down to the ground and reunited with his family shortly after.
Watch:
Frightening video captured a young boy who found himself walking along a monorail track high off the ground in Pennsylvania's Hersheypark, with a bystander climbing up to retrieve the boy.
— ABC News (@ABC) August 31, 2025
The boy was reunited with his family unharmed, the park said. https://t.co/dyssKyf8UZ pic.twitter.com/ML3y0gVvkT
A park guest climbed onto a building roof before hopping up onto the monorail track to grab the boy and bring him to safety. https://t.co/kTmahz6YUB
— PennLive.com (@PennLive) August 31, 2025
Park officials said the boy accessed the track through a closed monorail station.
Hersheypark issued a statement to PennLive Saturday evening after a harrowing video of a child walking along its monorail tracks, high above the ground, went viral on social media.
The park said the incident occurred at 5:05 p.m.
“A young child was reported missing after becoming separated from his parents,” the statement read. “While our team was actively searching, the child entered a secured area for the Monorail, which was not in operation. The ride was closed and safeguarded by a chained closure at the entrance and barricaded turnstile at the platform.
”The park said the boy “remained at the closed station for about 20 minutes before briefly walking along the track.
”“A guest quickly noticed and helped guide the child to safety,” the statement read. “Our team members immediately responded after he was spotted on the track, and at approximately 5:28 p.m. the child was safely reunited with his family. He was unharmed.
The park also expressed gratitude for the bystanders whose quick action prevented a possibly tragic outcome.
“We are grateful for the vigilance of our guests and the swift response of our team, and we remain committed to maintaining the highest levels of guest safety throughout Hersheypark.”
God Bless this Man for Rescuing this child from the Hershey Park Monorail 🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/Us4Amh6ies
— G-PA (@IndianaGPA) August 31, 2025
Heart-stopping moment at Hersheypark. The monorail track sits 25 to 30 feet high, and a young boy was walking on it. One slip could’ve been tragic, but a bystander climbed up and saved him.
— Simmi & Danny (@Move37Prod) August 31, 2025
True heroism 👏 John Samson didn’t just save a boy, he saved an entire family from heartbreak. Real-life heroes still exist!
— Ai_world (@Ai_world828) August 31, 2025
Yes, everyday heroes do exist, and because of their actions, a potentially disastrous outcome was averted. Not that they'd even take the title. Neither John nor the other guys involved in saving the boy stuck around for interviews or accolades. They did what needed to be done and then went back to their day of food, thrill rides, and rollercoasters.
A fun-filled day with the family at the amusement park.
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