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Southern Maryland child dead after bounce house went airborne with kids inside – WTOP News

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Southern Maryland child dead after bounce house went airborne with kids inside – WTOP News


A 5-year-old boy from La Plata, Maryland, is dead after a bounce house in Waldorf went airborne while children were playing inside, officials said. 

A 5-year-old boy from La Plata, Maryland, is dead after a bounce house at the Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf was blown into the air while children were playing inside Friday night, officials said.

First responders from Charles County were called after 9:20 p.m. while kids were playing in a moon bounce house at the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs baseball game.

A spokeswoman for the county said a wind gust blue the moon bounce anywhere from 15 to 20 feet high while an unknown number of kids were playing inside, “causing children to fall before it landed on the playing field.”

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“Charles County EMS personnel, who were already stationed at the stadium for the game, along with trainers from the baseball team and several Volunteer first responders who were in attendance, swiftly began patient care within minutes of the incident,” the county said in a news release Saturday.

The county said the 5-year-old boy was critically injured in the incident. He was later pronounced dead after being flown to Children’s National Hospital in D.C.

A second child was also injured when the moon bounce went airborne but is expected to survive.

“We extend our deepest empathy to the children and their families during this difficult time. We thank our EMS team and the Maryland State Police for their swift actions to ensure the children received immediate care,” Charles County Government Commissioner President Reuben B. Collins II said in a statement.

The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs canceled Saturday night’s game following the moon bounce incident. The team also said it was “offering counseling and support to families, players, and fans who attended” Friday night’s game.

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“Our entire organization shares our condolences with the family mourning the loss of a child, and concern for the child who was injured,” said Courtney Knichel, the team’s general manager. “Our thoughts and prayers are with them all.”

“All of a sudden, I saw the bounce house come flying through the air,” said Marie Ragano, who was in the stadium for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs game, attending a “Faith and Family Night” event.

From her view near and along the third baseline, she said the bounce house appeared to flip on the right field, tossing something out of the house and onto the field.

“As it came flying through the air, I saw something fly out of it. But I didn’t know if it was a child or not until I saw both teams’ players go running out into right field,” Ragano told WTOP.

Ragano said her family left about 20 minutes after people realized that at least one child was hurt, telling WTOP that she just wanted to get out of the way so emergency services could aid the injured kids.

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“I’m really sad,” she said holding back tears. “That a child’s out there playing … something like that happens. It’s just so sad.”

“We go to carnivals and stuff. You always wonder … is everything put together correctly?,” Ragano said. “You see these bounce houses flying through the air all the time on the news, so I’m not quite sure why this wasn’t anchored better.”

WTOP’s Bryan Albin contributed to this report.

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Maryland governor celebrates Juneteenth in historically-Black Montgomery County community – WTOP News

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Maryland governor celebrates Juneteenth in historically-Black Montgomery County community – WTOP News


Maryland Gov. Wes Moore spoke about the difference between liberation and freedom at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival, in one of Montgomery County’s oldest historic Black communities.

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Local leaders in Md. unite for Juneteenth Heritage Festival

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore spoke about the difference between liberation and freedom, in the opening ceremony of the 2026 Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival, in one of Montgomery County’s oldest historic Black communities.

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In Cabin John Regional Park, Moore was joined by local dignitaries, including descendants of William Dove, the first formerly enslaved man who purchased 36 acres of farmland in 1880 for $210, located in what is now Potomac.

Moore said that ending slavery was an important moment of liberation, celebrated by Juneteenth, “but liberation is not freedom.”

Even after liberation, Moore said that “the idea of freedom became something that still remained elusive.”

When Dove purchased property in the Scotland community, Moore said that economic empowerment was a step toward freedom.

“The freedom to be able to own more than you owe. A freedom to be able to pass something along to your children besides debt. A freedom to be able to walk freely, knowing that you should be able to feel safe in your own community, in your own neighborhood, and in your own skin,” said Moore.

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© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.



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Early voting ends with light turnout at polls, thousands of mail-in ballots so far

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Early voting ends with light turnout at polls, thousands of mail-in ballots so far


Although turnout was light after a week of early voting at voting centers around the state, but the state was still on track to have more early in-person voting than four years ago, on top of more than 165,000 mail-in ballots already received..



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University of Maryland football player arrested for harassment

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University of Maryland football player arrested for harassment


A University of Maryland (UMD) football player was arrested for harassment, according to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. 

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Dontay Joyner, a defensive back and rising senior at UMD, was charged with telephone misuse for making repeated calls, electronic communications harassment, and violating release conditions, a misdemeanor offense, according to court records. 

Joyner’s attorney is calling the ordeal “outrageous,” saying “[Joyner] has been locked in a cage in Harford County for seven nights after being charged with a misdemeanor for telephone misuse for texting his longtime girlfriend during an argument. This is simply outrageous.”

Joyner’s attorney, Former Attorney General Douglas Gansler, said the 21-year-old has never been in trouble with the law and does not own a handgun. According to Gansler, Joyner’s girlfriend is “fully supportive of him and does not want to press charges.” 

According to the UMD Terps website, Joyner is a Lakeland, Florida, native who previously attended Arkansas State. In the spring, Joyner was given the Nick Cross Defensive Back Award in a tradition that honors “past terrapin greats.”

According to court records, Joyner was held without bond. 

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WJZ has reached out to UMD officials for comment. 



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