42 hurt in crowd surge, railing collapse at Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa concert in N.J.
CAMDEN, N.J. -- At least 42 people were taken to area hospitals after a surging crowd caused a railing to collapse at a concert headlined by rappers Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa Friday night in Camden, New Jersey.
Authorities said a stretch of railing separating the crowd from a small temporary stage gave way when fans surged toward the stage.
It happened as Snoop Dog was performing on that stage.
"Everyone started running towards him, as, like, fans and stuff would do," said Aubrey Bernanti of Lumberton, N.J.
Cell phone video recorded during the concert captured the moment the surge happened.
Witnesses said concertgoers piled on top of each other.
"Everyone all of a sudden started pushing," said Abbey Hecht of Lower Merion, Pa. "And the gate broke. And all of a sudden I fell like six or seven feet. And I luckily fell on top of someone so I didn't hit the concrete. But there were, like, maybe four or five people on top of me and it was so hard to breathe. I couldn't move. I literally thought I was dying. It was so scary."
The injured were taken to five different hospitals, including Cooper University Hospital, Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center and Virtua Hospital in Camden, and Inspira Medical Center and Kennedy University Hospital in Cherry Hill.
There was no immediate word on the extent of injuries to those who were treated.
The concert was halted 20 minutes after the incident.
The Camden County Sheriff's Office was handling the investigation.
