One rider with a preexisting medical condition was taken to a hospital as a precaution, while others were released by medics, the park said.
The incident’s cause was unclear Saturday. Park managers said they were in contact with the ride’s manufacturer and would work with state inspectors to identify the problem.
“We wish to express our deepest appreciation to the first responders and our staff for taking prompt action,” the park’s statement said. “Most of all, we are thankful that the riders are safe and with their families.”
The park, which opened in 1905, describes AtmosFEAR as “an exciting ride with circulating and oscillating up and down motion.” The incident Friday was the ride’s first safety issue since opening in 2021, Oaks Park said. It said first responders practiced a rescue on the ride last year.
Illya Plaksey, 44, said he was in line for a neighboring ride when he saw AtmosFEAR come to a halt. Thirty seconds went by. Then a minute.
After a few more minutes, Plaksey said, a staff member announced that help was on the way. Staff members later announced that the park was closed and asked visitors to leave.
As a crowd stared up at the trapped riders, cellphones began falling to the ground and riders yelled for help, Plaksey said. He said most of the riders appeared to be teens.
LaVina Waters, 50, was at the Oaks Park arcade with her children and grandchildren when a woman ran in, yelling that people were stuck in the air. Waters went outside to join the crowd that had gathered to watch the riders awaiting rescue.
Seeing a shoe drop from one of the dangling riders reaffirmed to Waters that tall attractions like AtmosFEAR are not for her, she said.
“I wasn’t on it,” Waters said, “but it’s scary to me.”
AtmosFEAR is closed until further notice.
