12-year-old describes chaos on stalled Adventureland coaster: ‘Snapping, crying, screaming’

LONG ISLAND – A Friday night at an amusement park turned into a terrifying ordeal for several riders when a roller coaster malfunctioned at Adventureland on Long Island, leaving passengers stranded sideways in the air.

What they’re saying:

According to a 12-year-old rider who spoke with Fox 5’s Meredith Gorman, the ride malfunctioned unexpectedly. The coaster was reportedly supposed to ascend but instead rolled backward and abruptly stopped, despite being near a safety landing.

The sudden halt triggered immediate panic among the trapped passengers.

“That’s the point where everybody starts snapping, crying, screaming at people to call 911,” the 12-year-old witness recounted. “There was no service anywhere. So we were all panicking. I was personally screaming… A couple kids were laughing down there. Kids were like crying. It was chaotic.”

What we know:

The incident began around 8 p.m. Friday night. Riders were securely strapped into their seats, but the ride was heavily tilted sideways, making a quick evacuation impossible.

Local firefighters were deployed to the scene, utilizing a fire truck equipped with a bucket to reach the stranded passengers and carefully bring them down one by one.

The final rider was safely returned to the ground at around 10:30 p.m. No injuries were reported.

The other side:

Following the rescue, Adventureland released a statement addressing the incident and outlining their next steps.

“We understand the concern of the riders and their families who were involved today, and we will be working with our ride consultants to fully assess what happened.”