Familys Large Thanksgiving Spread Crashed Down In Seconds Watch (Exclusive)

A New Jersey family was just moments away from enjoying a Thanksgiving meal together when the table holding their entire spread came crashing down.

Over 150 of Kat Hovnanian’s loved ones were gathered at her aunt’s home in Red Bank, N.J., on Thursday, Nov. 27, for the holiday, when most of the food items prepped dropped to the floor as her 12-year-old cousin gave a speech in front of the table holding their meal.

Hovnanian captured the incident in a

and it has since gone viral online. Now, she tells PEOPLE that her aunt, who hosts Thanksgiving every year, “had been planning and preparing for weeks” and cooked the feast that included turkey, vegetables and herself.

“As soon as my cousin wrapped up her speech, the entire table collapsed, and all the food went with it,” she says. “It was a devastating moment, and none of us knew how to react.”

In the clip, Hovnanian’s aunt can be seen covering her mouth in shock after the table crashes down.

The cousin tasked with reading the speech also claps her hand to her mouth before jumping away from the dishes as they fall to the floor, the footage shows. Others, meanwhile, can be heard gasping and yelling out in shock.

Instagram users who commented on Hovnanian’s viral clip have speculated that a young family member who appeared to lean on the table caused the furniture — and the meal it was holding — to come crashing down, while others have theorized her aunt was the culprit.

But the true culprit was just the table, Hovnanian tells PEOPLE, due to old age and the placement of the feast.

“(It) genuinely just broke — it’s an old antique table that my aunt has had for a while,” she says, adding that her family “had front-loaded the table too much, and the weight distribution was off.”

“I know many are speculating that the table fell because someone was leaning on it,” continues Hovnanian. “We have other angles of the video, and the table just tipped over!”

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Though her family was initially devastated by the unfortunate incident, Hovnanian says they were all ultimately able to laugh about it — thanks in part to her aunt’s backup spread and because they were able to save some of the food on the broken table.

“We salvaged some of it,” Hovnanian tells PEOPLE. “The turkey, ham and steak were somewhat okay, but my experienced, angel aunt had a whole second buffet ready to go in no time. Everyone rushed to clean up and dismantle the table.”

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Once again praising her aunt for her hosting abilities, she adds, “She has been doing this for decades!”