we were getting ready to flip a coin to see what the goose's fate was. a good time can turn ugly in a hurry. >> i looked up, and i see a tv coming out the window. >> thousands of people, no way out. panic in a chicago nightclub packed to four times capacity. >> they started running down the stairs. and somebody fell, and then somebody fell on top of them. >> a soccer game goes from

confrontation to total chaos. >> two to four to ten, 16 dead. >> what happens then is a shock even to the players. >> i'm telling you now we're going to play this football match. >> a concert lets out, and the crowd is trapped in a suffocating crush. >> i thought they must be dying. >> it was absolute chaos. it was very much your worst nightmare. "caught on camera: crowd control." streams of people enter a popular chicago nightclub. what happens inside sends them all running for the exit. >> the fear that pervaded the whole place was overriding emotion. it was panic. it was panic turning to fear.

>> february 17th, 2003, the e2 nightclub located one floor above the epitomy restaurant hopes to attract a large turnout with a special dj performance. by 2:00 a.m. the club security cameras are rolling as nearly 1,200 people pack inside. at the time, robert r. egan is the assistant state attorney. >> the capacity for the club was just over 240 people. frankly, they were wall to wall. it was literally jammed. >> suddenly outside of the view of the cameras, a fight breaks out and a security guard discharges a can of pepper spray. >> the crowd reacted, not knowing what this was. somebody yelled out, poison gas.

it happened a year after 9/11 happened. there was a lot of fear just naturally out there. and people said, let's get out of here. >> people inside the club begin to run for the stairwell leading down to the front door. >> it was a very tall, steep stairwell. it was not a stairwell that was built to code, and it really was not suitable for the use that it was put to. and they started running down the stairs. and somebody fell, and then somebody fell on top of them, and somebody fell on top of them. and the next thing you know, people were literally stacked 10, 12 feet high. you look at a scenario where your life is under threat, where you're looking for means of escape. do you choose the door you came in by, the route that you know, or door number two?

>> keith steele is a professor in crowd dynamics. >> it's a marked emergency exit. but i don't know if it's open. i don't know where it goes. so my perception of risk is go out the way i came in, it's a safe bet. >> people stuck in the crush are desperately reaching for relief. local freelance videographer kent hurslic is part of the first camera crew to arrive, capturing the only video of the scene. >> there were people that were stuck in the doorway, and they could not get out. they just became so interlocked that they couldn't pull the people out. they were going to pull a limb off if you were going to pull somebody out of the there. >> firefighters must enter to the back of the club to access people piled up along the stairwell leading to the front

door. >> they had to stand on the pile. they had to stand on people and take one person at a time off the pile and pull them into safety. they were in cardiac arrest. they were technically dead, and they worked on them and resuscitated them and got a heartbeat and brought them back to life. it takes time for the rescue workers to get there. unfortunately these people didn't have any time. they were being asphyxiated from all the pressure up against them. they had minutes. not tens of minutes. >> despite the efforts of rescue workers, 21 people died. the club owner is charged with voluntary manslaughter. the owner's case is dismissed and the rest are found not guilty. the owner and manager filed a lawsuit against the city of chicago for malicious prosecution.

the city denied the claim, and the case was dismissed. nearly two decades earlier fear grips another crowd. and frenzied soccer fans are crushed against a concrete retaining wall. may 29th, 1985. nearly 60,000 supporters fill belgium's stadium for the european cup final, pitting england's liverpool against the italian team. emotions are running high as two of the world's most successful soccer teams face off. liverpool fan rogan taylor is watching on television from his home in england. >> i have a young family, three daughters. crazy football fans, it comes with the territory. and we are awaiting this match. we have some bubbly in the fridge. we're expecting a great game.

>> at the stadium, liverpool fan chris roland is just arriving, but before the game even starts, the festive mood of the day begins to unravel. >> there is no crowd control at all. there are no stewards. there are no police. there's a few turnstyle operators, but they're just waving you through. nothing. absolutely nothing. people couldn't believe their eyes. it's suddenly packed to the rafters. it really was a recipe for disaster. >> the opposing fans, typically seated at opposite sides of the stadium and separated by barriers are instead placed side by side. at the time, english fans have a reputation for hulliganism and violent behavior at matches.

>> there was five police, a dog and chicken wire fencing chest high separating the two. there they were, completely unseparated. >> with nothing substantial to keep the sides apart, tensions begin to rise. >> insults are passed back and forth. there's a little bit of wire shaking goes on. eventually somebody pulls the wire down. and a couple of fights start. as soon as small fights start, the vast bulk of the crowd, the italian crowd in this case, begin to retreat. and fight. many of them are desperate to get out of there. >> panicked italian fans tear across the terraces, but there is no escape. the rushing crowd is forced

against the concrete wall. >> we're all in the dressing room. we're all slowly starting to get ready. and then we heard like a distant sort of thud. almost like a rumble. we thought, oh, what's that? never thought anything of it. five minutes later one of the officials with liverpool came in and said, look, guys, the walls collapsed. >> coming up, pandemonium in the stands. >> the people came in and said, there's a lot of people dead. just like that. there's loads of people dead. >> and a shocking decision to control the chaos. >> they're afraid of the consequences. the only way is to play the game. when "caught on camera: crowd control" continues . avo: the volkswagen "sign then drive" sales event is back. which means it's never been easier to get a new passat, awarded j.d. power's most appealing midsize car, two years in a row. and right now you can drive one home for practically just your signature.

get zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first month's payment on any new 2014 volkswagen. hurry, this offer ends october 31st. for details, visit vwdealer.com today.

bigger, tougher messes was better leverage, he created a magic eraser with an attachable handy grip. it gives you the leverage you need to tackle tough kitchen messes and big bathroom grime, too. mr. clean's new magic eraser handy grip.

in belgium's stadium, the 1985 game hasn't gotten under

way when a scuffle between the fans sparks a frenzy. italian fans trying to escape aggressive liverpool fans are trapped against a concrete wall with nowhere left to run. crowd safety expert keith still knows the dangerous pressure that can build inside a crush of people. >> it's a combined mass and speed, the momentum, the energy within the crowd that creates the combined force. it's not how much i can push against the wall. it's everybody pushing against me. whenever steel and stone meets flesh and bone, there can only be one winner. >> like much of the stadium, the wall is in disrepair from years of neglect. the force of the fans against the already weakened structure creates a perfect storm. liverpool fan chris rolland is entering the stadium.

>> as we were making our way in, we actually heard the wall break. and we saw lots of -- what appeared to be italian supporters -- clambering over the wall. they looked crazed, to be honest. charging down the banks toward us. that's what they were trying to do to escape the trouble. >> frantic italian fans are tramping each other as they try to escape danger. the ground is covered with the injured and the dead. >> we hear that there's two dead, four dead, ten dead, 16 dead. we're going, oh my god. and of course, people would be getting more and more worried if they had family there. what's happened to them. where are they?

couldn't give them a call. >> while paramedics tend to be injured that have been brought outside, the chaos continues inside the stadium. >> certainly there are hundreds of italian reporters. those italian fans heard what happened at the other end and appeared to be charging around for some revenge. >> even though rolland has heard the wall collapse, like many fans in the stadium, he's unaware just how serious the situation is. >> no idea whatsoever. just that there were a lot of people. no one knows why this is happening. no one knows why there's a delay. no one knows why the italian fans are agitated. >> more police arrive to attempt to control the stadium. meanwhile, the teams begin to wonder if they'll still be expected to play. >> the people on the liverpool staff said there's loads of people dead.

just like that. there's loads of people dead. they came in with all sorts of police and riot gear. said, we're still searching beneath the rubble of people dying, people going to the hospital. he said, i am telling you now we're going to play this football match. i'm pretty sure one of our players went, why? what's the point? people dead. people dying. why are we playing football? the chief of police said i decided if i don't there could be more problems. they're afraid of the consequences of announcing that we have a lot of dead people here, we're not going to do this. please go home quietly. they don't think that's not going to happen. they think the only way is to play the game. >> but the team is not on bard with the police chief's decision. >> there's a general consensus

by the player saying we shouldn't be playing football. we should so not be playing football. >> as night falls, the fans are now subdued in the terraces. more than an hour past the scheduled pickup time, the teams get ready to play. >> there might actually be a game of football. and the teams came out. there's going to be a match. right. okay. nobody seemed even slightly enthusiastic. there was no polite applause. there was just nothing. it was like walking a dog in the forest. absolutely no reaction whatsoever. no players were talking to each other. no players were looking at each other. i think literally everybody was looking at the floor totally numb. >> just a short time the game, laurenson is taken off. >> when the game started i only lasted 80 seconds because i got injured and dislocated my

shoulder. i started to cry. it was the realization of the massive problems. >> as the game continued, a sense of unease apparent to those like rogan taylor, watching from home. there's a tackle close to the penalty area. but not quite in it. the referee gives a penalty to the italian team. i'm already thinking. he doesn't want extra time. he wants to get this game over. >> the italian team takes the penalty shot. they score the only goal in the game, winning the european cup. but it's a hollow victory. the chaos of the day has left 39 fans crushed to death and 600 people injured. because of the role of the fans in the violence, english clubs are banned from european

competition for five years. >> none of our people were dead, but something for us, too, that night. for those young lads who didn't really have much going for them. but could put on a shirt and think we're in the best in the world. suddenly we're the worst in the world. these are the fans who kill people. that for the city was a trauma of considerable significance. >> 14 liverpool supporters are convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to three years in prison. the belgian police captain is found guilty of criminal negligence for his handling of security and is given a six-month sentence.

for in the years have not softened the painful memory of the dark day. >> i went back to the stadium to play, and i looked before the game to where i thought it was. there was nothing there. that was spooky. that was very, very spooky. kind of thought, oh my goodness. all those years ago. coming up, too many people, too little space. a terrifying combination on a bridge in cambodia. >> the people in the middle start fainting. the whole crowd went down like that. and later a stampede is triggered at a popular raid. when "caught on camera: crowd control" continues. ♪

verizon innovators are combining a network of underwater sensors and artificial reefs that actually make our water cleaner. giving sea life-- new life. because the world's biggest challenges deserve even bigger solutions. powerful answers. verizon. from the classic lines to the elegant trim in each and every piece, kohler will make your reality a dream.

add brand new belongings from nationwide insurance and we'll replace stolen or destroyed items with brand-new versions. we put members first. join the nation. ♪ nationwide is on your side ♪ it's not a candy bar. 130 calories 7 grams of protein the fiber one caramel nut protein bar.

make my mark i wawith pride.ork. create moments of value. build character through quality. and earn the right to be called a classic. the lands' end no iron dress shirt. starting at 49 dollars. when crowds converge on a suspension bridge, excitement quickly turns to a crushing panic. >> there was absolute chaos. it was very much your worst

nightmare when a panic like that is triggered and the whole seem things to go out of control. nbc news correspondent ian williams is a veteran reporter in the region. >> different countries have different ways of working. cambodia is a small country. it's also a very poor country. a lot of the systems in place, whether law enforcement, the health system and crowd control systems are pretty basic. >> every year nearly 2 million people flood cambodia's capital city for the water festival, which marks the end of the rainy season. on the final night of the 2010 festival a concert lets out and crowds converge on a newly constructed bridge. it's the only pedestrian walkway protecting the mainland to diamond island. freelance journalist carmichael and his friend live there. >> it was newly opened.

there were people on the island who wanted to leave and go home. there were people on the mainland who wanted to get on the island to come and have a good time. >> it had gotten tighter and tighter and tighter and there was no outlet. >> people started leaving the island and got caught in the middle. >> a massive crush of people forges on the bridge. each person desperately reaching for pockets of air and water in the heat. >> it's like a boa constrictor to reach out. only takes 60 seconds to lose consciousness. >> as people in the middle faint from lack of oxygen, the whole crowd went down like that. >> cambodian native and photographer gets word of the situation and heads to the bridge to take pictures, but

he's not prepared for what he's about to see. >> please get me water. i'm thirsty. please help me. i really thought they must be dying. >> rescue workers desperately try to dislodge people one by one from the crush. it is pinning them down with incredible combined forces. >> think of it like dominos. it's the momentum of the entire thing. it only takes five people pushing against one to break a rib or smash a child's head. >> the government said there were maybe as many as a thousand people on that bridge. they had to start at each end and untangle people. pull them out one at a time. >> trying to free up vital room

on the bridge, many decide to take their chances in the river. >> these young men and women who are willing to jump off of a bridge that they didn't know the kepts to open a lot of who didn't know how to swim just to make room for other people to have a better chance of catching their breath, i thought that was pretty extraordinary. >> as the minutes pass, panicked faces begin to look exhausted as rescue workers and journalists gather around them. >> i apologize to all of victims. this is the way. i take this picture. so my camera just hang up like that. and click. just look at them to see.

after that i just asked somebody, what has happened. nobody can answer that. >> after hearing rumors of what is happening journalist carmichael races to the scene to file a report. by the time he and his friend arrive, survivors and the dead have nearly all been removed by rescue workers. >> we're on the bridge. shooting some video and images to help me out. there for hundreds of personal possessions lying on the bridge. there were dozens of people dead. the hospitals were scrambling to receive and retreat the injured. >> we saw the chaotic scenes of the hospital. people looking for friends and relatives.

the hospitals were overwhelmed. >> despite the efforts of rescue workers, 347 people are killed and hundreds are injured. >> the overwhelming cause of death according to hospital authorities were people suffocating in the sheer crush or broken bones. people having their bodies crushed in the crowd or in some cases throwing themselves in the river and drowning. >> while the number of casualties is staggering, it could have been higher if it weren't for those who jumped from the bridge. >> one of the survivors were told you have to jump to the bridge in the river. we have to free up space. he was at the time holding a woman's child. he gave the child back to the woman, and he jumped. so him and his friends survived. and of course, a lot of people didn't. >> the light of the next day

shines on an eerily quiet scene. >> one of the most striking images was the sheer number of shoes to spread all over the bridge, all over the banks. it left you wondering where are those people now. >> the nation unites to support the survivors and mourn those lost. >> the national government came to pay their respects. that is something nothing has seen. >> the prime minister himself described this as the worst tragedy. this country is no stranger to tragedy. >> one year later the bridge is demolished. even though it's less than two years old. there's no structural damage but it's deemed too painful a reminder. a memorial is constructed to honor those lost. >> one of the key things was the

crowd control ability isn't there. the policing was very poor. that they would need to have better systems in place. >> most of the people were young. just young kids. this is a time of celebration. a time to have a good time and to let go. for it to end like that, it affected a lot of people. coming up -- out of control college students turn a city upside down. >> i looked up, and i see a tv coming out the window. >> when "caught on camera: crowd control" continues. copd makes it hard to breathe... but with advair, i'm breathing better. so now i can help make this a great block party. ♪ [ male announcer ] advair is clinically proven

to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. [ male announcer ] advair diskus fluticasone propionate and salmeterol inhalation powder. get your first prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com.

with 0-calorie monk fruit in the raw. it's made with the natural, vine-ripened sweetness of fruit, so you can serve up deliciously sweet treats without all the sugar. raw natural sweetness, raw natural success. why would i take one pepcid® when i could take tums® throughout the day when my heartburn comes back? 'cause you only have to take one... [ male announcer ] don't be like the burns. just one pepcid® complete works fast and lasts.

hiem melissa rehberger. the mother of one of two killers

mistakenly freed from prison is asking for him to turn himself in. the president of one of two unions involved in the san francisco bay area rapid transit strike says she'll take a final contract to members for a vote but does expect it to be rejected. now back to "caught on camera." when a crowd of college students mixes with too much alcohol, the result can be a cocktail of bad behavior. with good judgment gone for the night, vandalism and rioting can spread like wildfire. march 12th, 2011. students are capturing video on

their cell phones after an all-nighter of drinking in albany, new york. by nearly 7:00 a.m. house parties spill onto the street as a celebration known as kegs and eggs, as students eagerly await the city's st. patrick's day parade. >> they caught us by surprise, the thousands of young people that were involved. it was upsetting to see what was going on. and we had never experienced that. >> everybody is on every inch of the street, on every inch of the sidewalk. on all the porches. they're completely wasted. it's just a sea of green mayhem. >> the crowd is whipping itself into a frenzy. and then things take a destructive turn. >> i was walking at one point. i remember hearing "charge" and look up and see a tv coming out the window. okay. fantastic. now it's raining appliances.

>> people are taking microwaves and throwing them into the streets. taking couches, pushing them out. taking beer bottle, anything they can get their hands on that they don't care about. >> everybody is completely belligerent. >> at what point does somebody look around in the kitchen and go, i'm going to throw everything in here out the window? when somebody gets to that point it can only go downhill. >> once things started to get really crazy we moved on. we wanted no part of that. >> after destroying property inside the houses, the crowd turns the attention outside. >> at some point somebody yelled, flip that car. which they started to chant "flip that car." and they decided to move that maxima into the middle of the street and started going to town on it. >> when they're not able to tip it over, they start jumping on the roof, throwing stuff against

the windshield, kicking out windows. it only takes one person with a bad idea. >> the criminal element, we'll use that to the advantage to create may ham. people are throwing stones then you tend to have ea action, if they can do it, i can do it. it's criminal behavior. when you're caught within the crowd it becomes part of the culture of the moment. >> as a group tries to flip a large van, police arrive on the scene and attempt to put a cap on the chaos. >> we got a lot of calls about very loud parties. the police were deployed. by then the kids were on the street. they were going from house to house. >> students are capturing all the action on video using their cell phone cameras. >> anybody with a smartphone is like, i can't believe this is happening. i have to get it on video. they would upload them to facebook or youtube right away. i got back to my room and was

able to watch what happened an hour ago. video intended for the entertainment quickly become incriminating evidence against some of them. >> the police are walking through the neighborhood handing them out to students, trying to get them to match names to faces. >> we had good video on it. when something happens like that, they're going to film it. people have to understand we are going to identify you. we identified the youngsters breaking the law and we arrested them. >> the videos go viral, gaining attention online and in the news media. >> i talked to the seniors graduating and maybe never lived in the neighborhood. now they're getting their degree that they worked hard for four years, now has a stain of kegs and eggs incident on it. >> after a chaotic day, there are a number of arrests and many are convicted on multiple charges.

two people receive jail time. the rest get probation, fines or community service. the city, in cooperation with the local colleges, is doing whatever it can to prevent anything like this from ever happening again, including a clever new place l for a school vacation. >> they pushed their st. patrick's day parade back a week so the kids wouldn't be around. >> the last thing i want to do is arrest college students. as far as i'm concerned, the message is strong. we're not going to tolerate it. coming up, concert goers in los angeles rush the gates. >> stop now. the party will be stopped. when "caught on camera: crowd control" continues. ♪

♪ (announcer) answer the call of the grill with new friskies grillers, full of meaty tenders and crunchy bites.

losing thrusters. i need more power. give me more power! [ mainframe ] located. ge deep-sea fuel technology. a 50,000-pound, ingeniously wired machine that optimizes raw data to help safely discover and maximize resources in extreme conditions. our current situation seems rather extreme. why can't we maximize our... ready. ♪ brilliant. let's get out of here. warp speed. ♪ help the gulf when we made recover and learn wthe gulf, bp from what happened so we could be a better, safer energy company. i can tell you - safety is at the heart of everything we do. we've added cutting-edge technology, like a new deepwater well cap and a state-of-the-art monitoring center, where experts watch over all drilling activity twenty-four-seven. and we're sharing what we've learned, so we can all produce energy more safely.

our commitment has never been stronger. this is the creamy chicken corn chowder. i mean, look at it. so indulgent. did i tell you i am on the... [ both ] chicken pot pie diet! me too! [ male announcer ] so indulgent, you'll never believe they're light. 100-calorie progresso light soups.

june 26th, 2010. the likt carnival is kicking off the second day in the los angeles coliseum, featuring a lineup of electronics and carnival rides. freelance photo journalist dan crouse is photographing the entire thing. >> it's way newer. with new technology. it's the new youth culture. >> you see a lot of people in different costumes. sometimes they're creative. sometimes they're just bathing suits and bikinis. >> as the rides are in motion and music under way, fans are finding their way in the stadium. chris cox is a music producer

and dj sitting in the v.i.p. section. >> they stop letting people downstairs because they wanted to fill in the bleachers. they all wanted to get down into the field which was packed with people. and there were only a few access points where people could get through. and then so many people just started pushing and, you know, it just kept getting more dense and tighter, so people just started climbing over the fences. >> an orderly situation takes a dangerous shift. a local news chopper captures it all from the air. >> people in the crowd that i was standing with was saying bum rush the gates. >> that's when i picked up my camera. because when i saw the thing start happening, i started shooting it. >> within seconds the crowd breaches the barriers and runs over the tops of tents that covers concession stands on the main floor.

>> stop now! >> i was blown away by it. people were literally falling over each other, getting crushed and trampled. >> i saw a girl slip out of the tent. her bone popped out of her leg. >> a massive buildup of people forms at the gate and is captured on cell phone video by a concert goer. >> a lot of people were getting crushed because it was either you run or yo just stop. a lot of people were stepped on and trampled over. >> i'm sure a lot of people were scared about getting lost under a mass of people. there wasn't much anyone could do to stop it. >> people are pulled from the force of the crush and injuries are assessed. >> back, back. >> as event organizers attempt to gain control of the situation. >> all the sudden they cut the music and started like yelling at the crowd and telling everyone to behave themselves and grow up. >> stop now.

the party will be stopped. throw these people who came here in the name of love and light. >> the rapper lil john happened to be on the stage. he grabbed the microphone. it was hysterical. >> okay mother [ bleep ]. you need to [ bleep ] stop. and then the crowd just swept up and everyone started laughing about it. and then it just completely diffused this thing that could have gotten really out of hand. >> more than 100 people are injured and taken to hospitals for treatment. despite the powerful force of the stampede no one is killed. after the 2010 incident the electric daisy carnival is moved out of los angeles to las vegas. but fans of the event remain firm it's not a danger to attend. >> i think it gave the festival

a bad rap for really a lot of people behaving themselves pretty well. it's really a small percentage of people doing it. >> my mom saw it after i came back and she was like, you know never going again. but i ended up going again. i'm going again this year as well. it's something that you have to be okay. you have to know what you're getting yourself into and be smart about what you're doing. coming up -- the crowd goes wild. >> we all grabbed him and squeezed him and put him on our shoulders. >> fans storm the court at a one of a kind basketball game. >> it was a dream come true. the crowd erupted. everybody went nuts. for seeing your business in a whole new way. for seeing what cash is coming in and going out... so you can understand every angle of your cash flow- last week, this month, and even next year.

for seeing your business's cash flow like never before, introducing cash flow insight powered by pnc cfo. a suite of online tools that lets you turn insight into action. it guides you to a number that will change it guides you to a number your life: your sleep number setting. it even knows you by name. now it's easier than ever to experience deep, restful sleep with the sleep number bed's dualair technology. at the touch of a button, the sleep number bed adjusts to each person's ideal comfort and support.

and you'll only find it at a sleep number store. where right now our newest innovations are available with 36-month financing. sleep number. comfort individualized. prefer the taste of gevalia house blend over the taste of starbucks house blend? not that we like tooting our own horn but... ♪ toot toot. [ male announcer ] find gevalia in the coffee aisle or at gevalia.com look! one select-a-size sheet of bounty is 50% more absorbent than a full size sheet of the leading ordinary brand. use less with bounty select-a-size.

an autistic high school student is given the chance to play in a basketball game.

but what happens next -- sends an emotionally charged crowd rushing onto the court. >> it was a dream come true. the crowd just erupted. it was like lava came out a volcano. the coach sat down. there was tears in his eyes. the whole place went nuts. >> jason mcelwain lives in rochester new york, not far from the high school he attends from 2002 to 2006 as a special education student. >> i had to work hard to get their respected. basketball teaches you life lessons of things are not always going to go your way in life. >> as a student, it's basketball tryouts that never seem to go his way. >> he practiced and so forth. when he was a sophomore in high

school, he was only about 100 pounds, about 5'6". so he got cut. that's when the jv coach came up with the idea of the being the team manager. >> basically getting water for the team, encouraging guys on the court. it was fantastic. >> i can always see he's excited in his white shirt and tie. his shirt would be out in the first quarter. he would be yelling and screaming. what i didn't realize is that everybody else had seen that too. >> jason's dedication inspires players like ricky wallace and varsity coach jim johnson to set a plan into motion. >> we had already brainstormed it. let's get this league built for this kid so we can have a substantial amount of time to get in. >> we had talked during the season. i would couldn't promise him that he could get in the game but i was going to have a uniform for him. >> he works so hard in practice. that was the least we could do, is to push for him to get in the

game. >> february 15th, excitement is building for greece athena's last game of the season. jason' teacher is one of many in the crowd. >> very excited that there was a game that night. and that there was a chance that he was going to be able to get in for the first time. in the back of my mind i was just thinking oh my goodness i hope the coach lets him in. >> fans fill the bleachers. many of them are shooting amateur video as the game gets under way. >> they have signed, j-mac signs. they had pictures of his face on little paint sticks. it sent a chill down your back. >> but near the end of the second half, the clock is ticking down, and jason, number 52 is still on the the bench. >> the crowd throughout the game, because they would periodically start chanting we want j-mac. just in case i had forgotten.

>> with only four minutes left and a lead built, the coach finally does what everyone in the crowd has been hoping for. >> i started hearing the chants again pretty loud. i was mulling in my mind when is the best time to put him in. so when i looked up at the clock and saw just over four minutes. i said the time is right. he's going to have enough time to get a chance to score a basket. i stood up and i pointed to him, and he just bounced right up. >> i was like, oh my gosh. he's in. we were all up on our feet. the whole gym was on their feet at that point. the kids all stood up and gave him a standing ovation. i got so overwhelmed with emotion i sat down on the bench and tears were rolling down my face. it's really something i will never forget. >> a nervous excitement hits the crowd. half of me was so happy. he finally got a shot.

the other side is i hope he doesn't make a fool of himself. i didn't want him to go in and be overwhelmed or make him scared. i didn't want him to be laughed at. >> i know you're not supposed to pray in a public school. i was praying dear god please help him score one basket. >> jason takes his first shot. it's an air ball. >> usually in a high school gym, player shoots an air ball, you hear chants from the crowd. i didn't hear anything. i think everybody was pulling so hard for him to score a basket. >> he takes his second shot. another miss. >> it was like, oh, you can do it. really trying to give him good vibes. >> i'm very nervous. i don't want anyone to take the ball from him. every second i'm just like don't do this, don't do that. >> jason sets up for another

three-pointer. >> all the coaches are praying to god that we're going to win. >> and the third one's the charm. >> the place just exploded. >> everybody was up on their feet, and we were all just so excited. and i thought, finally. >> but jason isn't done yet. what happens next is something no one in the crowd could have expected. the shots from the three-point line keep coming. >> and he just went crazy. turned into michael jordan. he started making shot after shot. one -- after another -- after another. >> it went from excitement to hysteria. everybody was just beside themselves. >> everyone was just going crazy because no one knew he was

capable of this. >> i was in a zone. i never shot like that in my entire life. you look at me, you can see me on the bench. the whole time i'm jumping up and down. i can't believe it. >> just seconds before the buzzer is about to go off, jason sets up for one last shot. >> jason's teammates threw it right to jason. the crowd is in all anticipation and he pulls up from three or four feet. i'm thinking, oh my god, jason, don't shoot from there. that's too far. >> but he makes it. jason scored a total of 20 points in four minutes. when the buzzer sounds, the crowd bursts onto the court. >> we just ran over to him as fast as we could after the game. >> to see a young man see his dream come true.

there's no better feeling than that. >> jason's fan base quickly expands into a much wider audience thanks to those amateur videos. >> i saw a lot of letters from the white house. meeting president bush. getting to meet magic johnson. >> jason leaves greece athena high school as a student in 2006. but in 2009 returns to his alma mater, this time as an assistant coach. no one would deny it's a triumph jason has earned. >> it feels great to get back to the game that i always loved. >> now everyone is saying an autistic kid can do this. being autistic is not bad. if he can achieve this, it's nothing to run from. it's nothing to be afraid of who you are. i feel like he inspired probably millions of people. >> do whatever you put your mind to. you can achieve anything you

want. just don't give up. sometimes the best-laid plans can go awry, leading to the worst kind of day possible. it's a picture perfect afternoon for skydiving, but this jumper ends up hanging on for dear life. >> there's nothing nobody can do to save him. at a kentucky gas station, a routine fill-up flares up. >> it happened so fast. everybody was in so much shock. further south, a tow job in texas turns perilous while