HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Police from several east side departments were called to Sky Zone in Highland Heights Saturday evening when hundreds of teens showed up to the indoor trampoline park and caused problems that led to parking lot fights.
Highland Heights Mayor Chuck Brunello Jr. said workers at Sky Zone called police for help with overcrowding and kids entering the business without paying.
"It turned into a little bit more than we thought," Brunello said.
Police said about 200 teens were inside, and, as they put it, there was a substantial lack of supervision. As officers cleared the building, problems escalated.
"There was a couple shoves. There was a punch thrown. Some kids ran," Brunello said.
More fights broke out in the parking lot as officers from Mayfield Village, Mayfield Heights, and Lyndhurst stepped in to calm the crowd while kids waited for rides.
Marvin Freeman, who lives nearby, put the responsibility on parents.
"They got to get a handle on these kids because they are out of control. They are out of control. I’m not a friend of my kid. I’m a parent to my kid—and I think everyone should be," Freeman said.
The mayor said once in the parking lot, kids started scattering into the surrounding neighborhood and nearby stores, prompting police to ask businesses to close temporarily as a safety precaution.
Freeman added that this isn’t the first time Sky Zone has faced these issues:
"I believe in tough love, and even with them. If you’re having problems there you have to close it," Freeman said. "I think they should close it. That ain’t the first time."
I went inside Sky Zone to speak with management. An employee gave me the name and number of what they said was the general manager. I called the number and left a message.
Brunello said he visited Sky Zone too and hopes to meet with the powers to be to prevent future incidents.
"I'm hoping to have them in my office to kind of make sure they understand, like, hey, listen, this isn’t a, you know, it happened—it’s over. This is… it’s not going to happen again, kind of a thing," Brunello said.
The mayor noted that the trampoline park’s previous owner had a rule that anyone under 18 had to be accompanied by an adult.
"And in addition to that, they hired two of our officers off duty to help assist with crowd situations and things like that. And that has also come to a halt. So we're hoping that we can bring those policies back into place," Brunello said.
According to Sky Zone's website, those under 18 must have a waiver signed by an adult or guardian. Those under 13 have to be supervised by a parent or guardian.
Brunello applauded the city's police officers and others from surrounding communities for the way they handled the situation.
"We all work together to make sure this was de-escalated as quickly as possible with no injuries, and everyone was safely able to leave," Brunello said.
One teen was taken into custody for allegedly fighting another teen and running from police. That teen was later released to their parents.
When asked what the city might do if problems persist, the mayor said:
"We have a nuisance ordinance. We're going to look to probably put some more teeth in there for situations like this, because this, again, this can’t continue to happen. Whether it’s a Sky Zone or a restaurant or any other establishment in our city, this can’t be tolerated," Brunello said.
Damon Maloney is a Cuyahoga County and We Follow Through anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @DMaloneyTV, on Facebook DamonMaloneyTV or email him at Damon.Maloney@wews.com.
