2-Ton Target Ball Gets Loose In NJ Parking Lot

PARAMUS, NJ — One Target shopper got more than she bargained for on a recent trip to the Paramus store.

A giant two-ton safety ball outside of the local Target store rolled into her vehicle, causing more than $3,500 worth of damage — and Target says it won't pay for the repairs, according to a report by ABC7 in New York.

A video from the scene shows how the errant ball got loose: It began when a pickup truck hit the ball, causing it to roll across the parking lot. It then smashed into Eileen Grady's Nissan Rogue. Footage shows the car with a big red dent in its side.

The ball then continued to roll through the lot, until it was finally stopped by a man who jumped out of his car and was followed by his dog. It took three people to roll the ball back to the store entryway, where a Target employee then put a cone near it.

Grady said her claim for the repairs to her car was denied by Target, according to ABC7. Target suggested the woman go after the man whose truck dislodged the ball in order to get reimbursed, she told the station in an on-air interview. However, the identity of that driver is not known.

Grady says she's headed to small claims court. Paramus police classified the accident as a hit-and-run.

Kali Dingman, a Target spokesperson, said the company is "handling all communication" with Grady and that a vendor would recheck the bollards at the store.

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Photo: A giant red Target ball in front of one of the company's store. — Used with permission via Creative Commons license