THE BALLOON MAN

Teens run wild during Florida State Fair's first Friday

From: Yampa Bay Times
By Jessica Vander Velde, Times Staff Writer
February 10, 2014

TAMPA — The first Friday of every Florida State Fair brings droves of Hillsborough teens, who get the day off from school and free admission. And each year, shortly after sunset, dozens of unsupervised minors start stampeding through the midway, the Sheriff's Office says.

They're fighting each other, robbing other patrons, stealing food and battering deputies.

The phenomenon is so common, deputies even have a term for it: They call it "wilding."

Authorities said the lawlessness is mostly confined to the first Friday. But they've never publicly shared details until Monday — after several media outlets, including the Tampa Bay Times, reported that 14-year-old Andrew Joseph III was kicked out of the fair Friday by deputies before he died while crossing Interstate 4 that night.

That day, approximately 200 deputies could not handle the chaos, sheriff's officials said. Some witnesses estimated 150 to 200 teens running wild.

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http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/teens-run-wild-during-florida-state-fairs-first-friday/2164974#