Published Sunday, October 6, 2002
By Amanda Smith-Teutsch and Kristen Garrett
Herald Staff Writers
A sales promotion staged by Winner properties Saturday morning took an ugly turn as almost 1,000 people crowded into a block of downtown Sharon, pushing and shoving each other and bystanders while they tried to scoop up $2 bills and coupons floating down from the roof of The Winner.
At least three people were injured. A 16-year-old girl broke her foot as she fell from the roof of Donna's Diner. The girl was trying to get to the rooftop to gather money and coupons that had collected there. She was treated at the hospital of Sharon Regional Health System.
A second woman, Virginia Fekech, 73, of Sharon, was observing the crowd from the east wall of the Winner building. When the money and coupons began to drop, people shoved Ms. Fekech to the ground.
"They knocked me down, " Ms. Fekech said. "They pushed me to the ground and started walking all over me."
Ms. Fekech said she fell on to her hip. She recently had surgery on both of her hips, she said.
Mrs. Fekech was in satisfactory condition in UPMC Horizon, Farrell, Saturday afternoon, a nursing supervisor said. The supervisor would not say if they treated anyone else injured in the incident.
A Herald reporter was treated at SRHS for head injuries after she was assaulted by people in the crowd.
The women were injured after Winner properties shot $1,000 in real cash and $4,000 in "Shop Sharon" coupons out of an air cannon at 10 a.m. in front of the downtown clothing store. Winner properties -- which include the store, the diner, and other Sharon businesses owned by James E. Winner Jr. -- planned to conduct the promotion every Saturday in October to drum up business and bring people downtown.
The day began peacefully enough with children and adults anticipating the money drop or watching the scene. People laughed at teenagers who had brought along fishing nets and talked about which way the wind was blowing, and where the best chances to get money were.
The easygoing tone of the event changed, however, when the money began to fly out of the rooftop cannon over the crowd. People pushed, shoved and frantically tried to reach the money and coupons as they swirled overhead.
The entire crowd surged in whatever direction the money, which came in several bursts, was fluttering slowly to the ground. Every time the money was let loose, the crowd surged toward it.
A woman with a toddler in a stroller was begging to be let in to The Winner, which was closed during the event, to get out of harm's way. Those inside did not initially let them into the building, but they were later let in.
A man was shoved into one of the flower boxes that line State Street as city firefighters tried to keep people from climbing into the Shenango River.
Several people crossed barriers intended to keep people away from the river and tried to gather money that fell into the water.
Dan Nale, 21, of Sharon, was one of them.
"I decided to go in the water, because that's where the money was," he said.
About 20 people were scrambling for money on the roof of Donna's Diner before someone made them get off. Young children climbed around the edges of the building's roof, trying not to be seen.
Several young people tried to climb on and tear down the awning above the entrance to The Winner to gather money and coupons that collected there. Police moved them back and eventually the loot was shaken free.
People were standing on top of parked cars, on flower boxes and on buildings, trying to catch the falling paper.
"I don't think it was organized very well," said Jane Davidson of Sharon after the chaos broke out.
The crowd started forming early in the morning, with some people, including Kim Bashor of Sharon, lining up as early as 5:30 a.m. Two police cars arrived to block off State Street at about 9:30 a.m., when several hundred people were already lining the streets.
Police used a loudspeaker to tell the throng to get back on to the sidewalks. Six policemen were at the scene. No private security personnel were apparent at the event.
Will the money drop happen next Saturday?
"From where I sit right now that would be a no," said Sharon Mayor David O. Ryan.
Ryan was downtown to witness the melee. He said the city can't condone people jumping in the river, climbing on buildings and getting injured, he said.
On Ryan's OK, the city footed the bill for closing the street and extra police officers. Ryan said it's not unusual for the city to pay those expenses for downtown events such as parades.
"I'm not saying it (the money drop) was a bad idea. It was an idea that went bad," Ryan said. He said future promotions in the city aren't going to include money.
The whole event took a turn no one anticipated, Ryan said.
"That was crazy," Sharon Police Chief Thomas Burke said after the event.
Burke said he knew of only three injuries. He said at least two vehicles parked on the street were damaged, and trees along Veteran's Walkway between the diner and the store were also damaged. "It looks like a war," he said.
Burke said no one was charged because people listened to the police when they ordered them to desist.
Some people who turned out Saturday were disappointed by the amount of "Shop Sharon" coupons. Steve Zolnier of Sharon looked at the coupons he caught that were good for $2 off of every $20 spent at a Winner store.
"Man, if I would have read the first coupon I would have just left," Zolnier said.
Attempts to reach a spokesperson for Winner properties Saturday were unsuccessful. The Herald was told by a woman who answered the phone at The Winner to call Winner International. A recorded message at Winner International said the office is closed on Saturdays.
Phone calls to the homes of James E. Winner Jr. and James B. Winner were not returned. James B. Winner owns Winner Advertising, which was involved in the promotion.
You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Kristen Garrett at kgarrett@sharonherald.com or Amanda Smith-Teutsch at ateutsch@sharonherald.com