It was late July, and Michael Gandolfini was strapped into a funfair ride on New Jersey’s Seaside Heights boardwalk, the same stretch of creaking rollercoasters and cheesesteak stands he’d been visiting since he was a little kid.

The 22-year-old dangled in suspense as the machine cranked him a few metres off the ground, gearing up to fling him skywards. But then an “uncomfortable” feeling suddenly flooded his body. Someone was shouting at him.