Following a Sunday incident in which a 10-year-old boy was seriously injured after being thrown from a carnival ride, Northern Illinois police have taken possession of the ride as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.

After the Illinois Department of Labor completed its inspection of the ride on Wednesday, the Antioch village police and the Lake County State’s Attorney’s office obtained a search warrant from a judge to seize the ride as evidence.

Antioch Police Chief Geoffrey Guttschow explained that the results of this week’s inspections prompted the immediate securing of the ride as part of their investigation into the incident, the Associated Press reported.

The police towed the Moby Dick ride from Shorewood, in Chicago’s south suburbs, where the ride’s owner had taken it on Monday, back to Antioch, near the Wisconsin border.

The investigation, jointly conducted by the village police and the state’s labor department, aims to determine whether any criminally reckless or negligent acts contributed to the accident.

The carnival ride in question, the Moby Dick, had undergone inspection this year and had been granted a state permit.

During the incident on Sunday at Antioch’s Taste of Summer festival, the boy was riding the Moby Dick when he was thrown from the ride.

He was subsequently taken to a Chicago hospital with severe injuries, including multiple facial fractures and a significant leg injury.

Out of respect for the boy’s privacy, police have decided not to provide further updates on his condition. The investigation continues as they work to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and any potential liabilities.

Written by staff