On the evening of June 19th, a serious amusement park safety accident occurred at the famous “Adventureland Amusement Park” on Long Island. The park’s newly constructed popular aerial amusement ride, the Wave Twister, suddenly malfunctioned while in operation, leaving 16 guests suspended in mid-air at a height of nearly 10 meters for several hours. Multiple fire departments were promptly dispatched for a joint rescue operation, and fortunately, all guests were safely rescued without any injuries.
According to the latest report issued by the Suffolk County police and fire departments, the incident occurred around 7:25 p.m. on Friday. The new rotating roller coaster came to a sudden halt, trapping passengers on the ride in mid-air.
Initially, there were reports suggesting that the trapped passengers were at a height of 75 feet, but the fire department later corrected the information, indicating that the passengers were actually suspended approximately 25 to 30 feet above the ground.
Rescue teams from various fire departments in East Farmingdale, West Babylon, and Amityville rushed to the scene with heavy equipment. Since the passengers were stranded in a precarious position, firefighters utilized aerial ladder trucks and cherry pickers for a precise rescue operation.
Among the 16 passengers safely rescued on-site, apart from a 40-year-old parent and their 5-year-old child, the remaining 14 trapped individuals were school-age children between 8 and 12 years old.
As the accident occurred during the late evening hours with increasing wind strength and darkening environment, the rescue operation lasted for a total of three hours, until 10:39 p.m. when the last trapped child was safely brought down by firefighters. During the wait, numerous parents gathered outside the cordon line with anxious feelings, some resorting to voice calls through their Apple Watches to comfort their children suspended in mid-air.
The amusement park has maintained an exceptional safety record over the past 60 years. The park announced the indefinite closure of the roller coaster and is currently conducting a comprehensive investigation into the cause of the accident in collaboration with external amusement ride safety experts, state government safety consultants, and the Swiss manufacturer of the ride, Ride Engineers.
New York state labor and safety regulatory agencies have intervened in the case, and the facility will remain closed to the public until the final technical investigation report and safety assessment are completed.