The Park District of Forest Park announced that it will be closing the Aquatic Center at 4:30 p.m. on June 1 after receiving a report of a Snapchat “trend” suggesting that people might be coming to the pool en masse.
Park District Executive Director Jackie Iovinelli told the Review that they were tipped off about the incident and, after forwarding the information to the Forest Park Police department, the officials decided to close the Aquatic Center early “out of abundance of caution.” Iovinelli said that the pool will reopen on June 2 at noon.
The last time the pool got similar Snapchat attention, back June 14, 2022, the Aquatic Center ended up getting swarmed by more than 200 people – something that resulted in minor damage and contributed to the delays in the opening of the new children’s splash pad area.
During last year’s incident, the park district received a warning that there was an invitation circulating on Snapchat social media network inviting people to come to the Aquatic Center.
The pool reached capacity by about 7:05 p.m. with around 150 people inside. When the staff locked the doors, a crowd charged through the front gate and jumped the fence on the east side of the pool, going through the splash pad construction site.
Hundreds more gathered at the front entrance and refused to leave, leading the Forest Park police to call neighboring departments and the Cook County Sheriff’s Police for assistance.
The incident led the park district to close the pool to non-residents who didn’t have pool passes for the entire 2022 season. For the 2023 season, it revamped the admissions system so that everyone is required to register – something that, Iovinelli said, will help the park district keep better track of who is coming in and out.
The damage to the splash pad construction area was cited as one of the several factors that pushed back construction. Work wasn’t completed until late this spring, and the splash pad area officially opened on May 27.
