As the summer winds down, many people are trying to pack in as much fun as they can. For some thrill-seeking families, that means heading to an amusement park to ride the rides. Anthony Gallina, 36, reportedly took his kids to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, on August 16, but instead of staying with his youngest children, he rode rides with the older ones.
According to a Sandusky Police Department report, a park guest discovered the unattended children and notified a Cedar Park security guard, who contacted police. During their investigation, Sandusky police found Gallina was with four young children and intermittently left them alone so he could ride roller coasters. He was ultimately charged with child endangerment.
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A woman noticed the youngest child playing in the dirt.
Sandusky police reported that a woman saw a 2-year-old child playing alone in the dirt around 9 p.m. and began to follow her. The little girl ultimately led the woman to a 4-year-old child, who was alone in a wagon near the Corkscrew ride.
"The female located a wagon in front of the Corkscrew with another small child that was unattended. She advised that she waited for almost 20 minutes before the father of the child appeared," police explained in the report.
Police spoke with the father.
The father told police he and his oldest daughter were in line for the Corkscrew, and he left his 8-year-old daughter in charge of watching the other two sisters, according to the police report. He said he was only gone a few minutes, but police discovered the ride had been shut down for at least 20 minutes while the father was away. It's unclear where the 8-year-old was during this time.
The family had been at the park for hours.
Gallina told police he arrived with his 9-year-old, 8-year-old, 4-year-old, and 2-year-old daughters around 1:30 p.m. The father said when they got to the park, he and his oldest daughter rode the Gatekeeper ride, but he was able to keep an eye on the other three when he was in line. He reportedly admitted to leaving the younger children alone multiple times.
The children appeared unharmed.
Police did not report any injuries to the four children. The father admitted he was the only adult with the girls at the park that day and said he was their sole caretaker.
"The Honorable Judge O'Brien was contacted and he advised that Anthony could be recogged. A summons was prepared with it being explained to Anthony and him signing the same. He was then released from custody without further incident," the police report states.
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The endangerment case is under investigation.
Sandusky police detained the father, and he was charged with child endangerment. Gallina and his children reside in Kansas, Ohio, and the incident was reported to the Seneca County Department of Job and Family Services for further investigation.
