UPDATE 4/2018: I wrote the following in Sept. 2015. What follows is almost entirely wrong. The full, updated and complete story is at: https://kingsislandghost.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-truth-behind-tower-johnny.html
Hello everyone! One of the most persistent Kings Island ghost stories is "Tower Johnny". There are many urban legends about him, but I have come to clear up the truth. First, there are multiple urban legends about how he died. Here is what happened, according to newspaper articles that reported the incident. On May 13, 1983, 17 year old John Harter, of Delaware, Ohio, was visiting Kings Island for one of it's annual Grad Nights. Harter, as well as other students of Delaware Hayes High School, was set to graduate June 5. His birthday was May 27. Anyways, he had indeed been drinking that fateful night. Whether he smuggled it into the park, or drank before entering isn't known. Harter rode some rides that night with his friends, as well as his girlfriend, Pam Donley. However, he became separated from his friends. At about 10:15 p.m., John made his way up to the 50 foot platform of the Eiffel Tower and then proceeded to climb a five and a half foot fence onto the interior emergency stairwell. Investigators believe he climbed up a bit, then climbed onto a beam near the elevator shaft. While standing there, however, he was hit by the counterweight instead, lost his balance, and plunged 50-60 feet onto the top of the rising elevator. The impact killed him instantly. He was not decapitated during the fall, the Warren County Coroner was quoted as saying in the Columbus Dispatch as saying that the cause of death was "skull fractures and several broken bones". His girlfriend and friends were walking around the Tower base looking for him when he fell, although they did not see him fall. The Tower was closed the rest of Grad Night, and was closed the next couple days while police investigated. He was buried the following Wednesday in Oak Grove Cemetery in Delaware, Ohio. I recently accidentally ran into a woman who was best friends with Pam Donley. She reported that the three of them, the woman, Pam, and John, had all rented out a car and were renting a hotel room together near the park. She was at Kings Island the night John was killed. She said that John was a very kind and smart young man. I have photos of when I visited his grave as well as photos from the Hayes 1983 yearbook. If anyone can tell me how to post these, thanks, as this is my first KI Central post. I'm sure that you all are familiar with the ghost stories (security called to Tower by employees working late who see a boy in 1980's style clothing walking on the top platform, elevators moving by themselves, etc.) No matter how careless John was, this was still a very sad and tragic accident. Just thought you all would find this interesting.
-Ghost Guy
EDIT: The photos are included in a post below.
