In a bizarre incident that sounds a bit like an episode of The Simpsons, a golf cart rigged to simulate the dangers of drunken driving became out of control at a police fair, injuring five after it strayed from the intended course. The Wildwood Police Department confirmed the news in a Facebook post.
The incident occurred on Tuesday in Wildwood, NJ, during National Night Out, which describes itself as “an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie” across America.
“As part of this event and for over the past twenty years, we have operated a simulated impaired operator low-speed golf cart course,” the police department explained in its statement. “Tragically, during one of the course operations, a speed-governed golf cart being operated by a juvenile attendee and a Wildwood Police Officer left the enclosed course and struck several individuals.”
It’s unclear how exactly the cart is rigged to mimic a drunk driver, but pictures from National Night Out's Facebook page feature multiple photographs of attendees engaging in the event over the years.
The people struck reportedly include four adults and one child. The extent of their injuries is unclear, but they were immediately treated by Wildwood firefighters who were present at the event before the decision was made to transport all five victims to Cape Regional Medical Center in Middle Township.
As of Wednesday, the Wildwood police department reported that “three [victims] have been treated and released, two are still hospitalized due to their injuries.” It was not immediately clear if those victims were still hospitalized as of Thursday. The department noted that the incident is still under investigation.
“This tragic incident is disconcerting to the entire City of Wildwood Police Department, and we would like to offer our sincere thoughts and prayers to the injured individuals,” the department said in its statement.
