16 riders stranded mid-air for 3 hours after wave twister ride stalls at US park
A Wave Twister malfunction at Adventureland left 16 riders, mostly children, stranded 25 feet up for nearly three hours. The park has closed the ride as officials and consultants investigate the cause.
A ride malfunction at a popular amusement park in New York State left 16 people, most of them children, stranded high above the ground for nearly three hours on Friday night.
According to New York Post, the incident occurred at Adventureland in East Farmingdale when the park's Wave Twister ride suddenly stopped operating around 7.30 pm, trapping riders approximately 25 feet in the air.
Emergency crews from the East Farmingdale Fire Department, assisted by mutual aid responders and Suffolk County Police, launched a rescue operation to safely bring down those stranded.
According to Suffolk County Police officials, the riders included a five-year-old child, who was accompanied by a 40-year-old parent. The remaining passengers, they added, were children between the ages of 8 and 12.
Authorities said all 16 riders were safely rescued, with the final passenger brought down at 10.39 pm.
Following the incident, Adventureland announced that the ride would remain closed pending an investigation into the cause of the malfunction.
"For more than 60 years, Adventureland has enjoyed a proud record of safety and guest satisfaction," News 12, a local media outlet, quoted park spokesperson Mark Smith as saying. Smith added that the park would work with ride consultants to determine what went wrong.
The Wave Twister is part of Adventureland's multi-million-dollar Legacy Corner redevelopment project and was manufactured by Ride Engineers of Switzerland.
A ride malfunction at a popular amusement park in New York State left 16 people, most of them children, stranded high above the ground for nearly three hours on Friday night.
According to New York Post, the incident occurred at Adventureland in East Farmingdale when the park's Wave Twister ride suddenly stopped operating around 7.30 pm, trapping riders approximately 25 feet in the air.
Emergency crews from the East Farmingdale Fire Department, assisted by mutual aid responders and Suffolk County Police, launched a rescue operation to safely bring down those stranded.
According to Suffolk County Police officials, the riders included a five-year-old child, who was accompanied by a 40-year-old parent. The remaining passengers, they added, were children between the ages of 8 and 12.
Authorities said all 16 riders were safely rescued, with the final passenger brought down at 10.39 pm.
Following the incident, Adventureland announced that the ride would remain closed pending an investigation into the cause of the malfunction.
"For more than 60 years, Adventureland has enjoyed a proud record of safety and guest satisfaction," News 12, a local media outlet, quoted park spokesperson Mark Smith as saying. Smith added that the park would work with ride consultants to determine what went wrong.
The Wave Twister is part of Adventureland's multi-million-dollar Legacy Corner redevelopment project and was manufactured by Ride Engineers of Switzerland.
