State Report Released In Fatal Ferris Wheel Fall, 11-Year-Old At Fault

WILDWOOD, N.J. (CBS) -- A state report finds an Atlantic County girl likely was not sitting properly in a ferris wheel at Morey's Piers in Wildwood earlier this month before she fell from the ride to her death.

There were no mechanical defects in the Giant Wheel that could have led to Abiah Jones' fatal plunge.

So says the preliminary report by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, which finds the 11-year-old from Pleasantville met the conditions on age and height for riding alone.

A security camera only recorded her falling through midair, but didn't capture how she left the gondola. They say the railing is high enough to prevent such an incident. Inspectors even took a ride in that pod, and found nothing out of the ordinary.

Watch the video...

The report says someone kneeling or standing on the seat or leaning too far out of the ride could lose their balance and fall, but they may never know exactly what happened here.

The department has issued new rules for ferris wheels in the aftermath: riders must be four-and-a-half feet tall to ride without a parent, and they're recommending at least two riders in every compartment.

Reported by Ian Bush, KYW Newsradio