SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — A mother is sharing her appreciation after a group of bystanders jumped into action to help save her three-year-old, who nearly slipped out of a ride at the Illinois State Fair.

Hailey Townsley and her son went to the fair Sunday afternoon and got in line to ride the Sky Glide. Townsley said they boarded the ride, which began to rise. Then, her son moved and he slipped under the safety bars.

Townsley said she immediately began yelling for the operators to stop the ride. After about a minute, Hailey said the Sky Glide paused, and she held on to her son. A crowd formed, and a group of people eventually lifted a woman in the air, who grabbed onto Townsley’s son and lowered him to the ground.

She estimated that she held onto him as he dangled over the edge for about five to six minutes.

“I am forever grateful for the people who helped,” Townsley said. “If we would have been up any higher I don’t know how long we would have needed to wait [to get him down].”

Townsley said Edward Brennan, Brady Cheffy and two others helped rescue her son. She said she didn’t get the chance to thank them at the time, but hopes they know how grateful she is.

“I’m just still in shock, but I’m feeling a lot of gratitude,” Townsley said.

WCIA reached out to Illinois State Fair officials, along with the Illinois Department of Labor, for a statement about the incident.

“The Illinois State Fair takes fairgoer safety seriously, and we are thankful that no one was harmed during this isolated incident,” the provided statement reads.