Video: Seagull hits teen in face while on SpringShot ride in Wildwood, NJ

Morey's Piers' SpringShot ride shoots you into the air at speeds over 75 mph

ByBrandon Longo WPVI logo

Thursday, July 22, 2021

Teen speaks out after viral video of seagull strike on Jersey Shore ride

A group of friends celebrating a birthday at the Jersey Shore definitely have a story for the ages.

WILDWOOD, New Jersey -- A group of friends celebrating a birthday at the Jersey Shore definitely have a story for the ages.

Georgia, 14, and Kiley, 13, who live near Weatherly, Pennsylvania, got quite the surprise visitor while on a ride at Morey's Piers in Wildwood, New Jersey earlier this month.

Georgia was celebrating her 14th birthday while on vacation and decided to go on the SpringShot ride at the amusement park.

According to Morey's website, the ride shoots you into the air at speeds over 75 mph. But the website doesn't say you'll meet a flying seagull out of nowhere.

Video shows Georgia and Kiley get fired into the air and shockingly, Kiley comes face to face with a seagull.

"When I got shot up, then I saw it. It was going the opposite way and then it came back and hit me right in the face," Kiley said. "It felt really light and it only left like the tiniest scratch."

Kiley was able to remove the bird and it seemingly flew away uninjured.

All of this occurred right next to Georgia, who had no idea what was going on right next to her.

"I was trying to tell her," Kiley said.

In the video, Kiley can be heard yelling, "A bird flew on my face! A bird flew on my face! Oh my God!"

But Georgia couldn't hear it. She was focused on getting through the ride.

"She told me to stop talking because she thought she was going to throw up," Kiley said.

Down on the ground, Georgia's mother Alena Reed also was not aware what was happening above.

"We did not know what happened until they got off. We did see feathers falling from ride, but at first, I assumed they were tickets," Georgia's mother, Alena Reed, tells Action News.

Before they were even back on the ground, Kiley knew this story was too tall of a bird tale to be believed without evidence.

"I can't wait to see this video," Kiley said while still on the ride.

Neither could the internet, as the video has racked up hundreds of thousands of views online.

Oddly enough, Kiley says this was kind of a dream come true. She loves animals and says she's always wanted to catch a seagull.

"I saw it on the internet, people trying to catch them and, I don't know, I just thought it would be cool," Kiley said.

Reed says the girls couldn't stop laughing after the ride and the seagull seemingly flew away uninjured.

Like Bobby Rydell says, "Oh those Wildwood days."