On Saturday 17-year-old Melanie Rossomando jumped off a chair lift 35 feet above the beach in Seaside Heights, N.J., to avoid the risk of being struck by lightning.
Rossomando was celebrating her 17th birthday at Casino Pier when the the lift’s power cut out. When Rossomando saw the dark storm clouds approaching, she didn’t hesitate to jump.
“Broken leg, broken arm, whatever, that completely beats being struck by lightning,” Rossomando said, according to New York magazine.
According to local New Jersey news station News 12, Rossomando only suffered a few bruises from the fall.
A spectator filmed the incident and posted the video on Youtube. The Associated Press reports that the chair ride was on standby mode and no new passengers were allowed on. The Casino Pier staff, following emergency procedures, evacuated passengers from the lift. Staff members were unaware that Rossomando had jumped until they saw the video.
The video shows Rossamondo kicking off her shoes and leaping from the ride as the storm begins to brew.
“I’m not a calm person,” she told News 12. “I’m really not. I freaked out. You can hear in the video I was screaming bloody murder.”
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