The landmark Cyclone roller coaster at Coney Island got stuck during the first run of the 2015 summer season. Many passengers were left stranded on top of the ride. Check out the photos of the passengers on the stuck roller coaster and read more on the story below!
During the opening day at Coney Island, the landmark Cyclone roller coaster got stuck and many riders were forced to be removed by workers from the top of the wooden roller coaster. Witnesses say that the first 24 riders on Cyclone for the 2015 summer season were preparing for the initial drop when the coaster stopped moving. Peter Manjgaladze, 13, said, “I was on the ride with my friends and I was excited we were going up. We were really happy. And then it just stopped…I thought it was just a joke but once I saw the men running toward the ride, I got scared.”
The passengers were stuck on the roller coaster for about five minutes. Alex Bessmertnov, 13, stated, “We were going up the slope and all of a sudden it stopped…The employees came up and they took us out of the ride and led us down very slowly. They were very nice and very calm about it…This was the first roller coaster I’ve ever been on, so it was absolutely terrifying…I also have a fear of heights so that made it worse. But thankfully we got down safely.”
The riders were very shaken up as they walked down the planks of wooden steps. Witnesses and workers said the conveyer belt used to move the ride slipped off the track. “It was a little bit scary because, since it’s wood, the whole ride was shaking…People said this was the first time it ever happened,” Manjgaladze said. The Coney Island Twitter account tweeted that the first 100 riders would get a free go-around.
Check out the photos of the Cyclone roller coaster that got stuck in the gallery!
