OSU students jumped in Mirror Lake Nov. 26, one night ahead of the planned Mirror Lake jump.
Credit: Kristen Mitchell / Editor-in-chief
Some Ohio State fans knocked down chain-link fences and jumped in Mirror Lake Monday night after new restrictions on the Mirror Lake jump were announced Sunday.
OSU officials had announced there would be increased safety and security efforts for the Mirror Lake jump, originally planned for Tuesday night. Fences were installed around the Mirror Lake area with one designated entrance spot and multiple exits. Students, whether jumping or watching, were set to be required to wear a wristband for admission to the area Tuesday, causing some students to take to social media and plan an alternative event.
Jumping in Mirror Lake before the OSU football game against the University of Michigan is a university tradition, though it is not officially university-sanctioned.
Some fans created a Facebook event and Twitter page encouraging others to jump Monday at 11:45 p.m. instead of Tuesday. More than 800 people had responded that they were going to attend as of 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, while more than 8,000 were invited.
Police officers did not stop people from entering the area at about 11:45 p.m. Monday.
A University Police officer said at its peak there were an estimated 1,500 people at the lake Monday night.
There were no injuries or arrests reported as of 12:15 a.m. Tuesday, said officers from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
Police forces present included Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and University Police, the officers said.
It was 32 degrees and snowing as of 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Weather Channel.
Impromptu jumps have occurred in the past, including in 2011 when thousands of students gathered at the lake to celebrate the announcement of Osama Bin Laden’s death.
