EAST FARMINGDALE, Long Island — A fun night out turned into a terrifying ordeal Friday when a brand-new thrill ride at Adventureland suddenly malfunctioned, leaving 15 children and one parent stranded high above the ground for hours.
The Wave Twister, the park’s flashy new attraction that opened earlier this year, came to a dead stop around 7:30 p.m., stranding 16 riders on its elevated platform dozens of feet in the air. The youngest victim was just 5 years old, riding with his 40-year-old father. Most of the other kids were between 8 and 12.
Dramatic aerial video from the scene showed firefighters from multiple departments battling the clock as darkness fell. Using ladder trucks and aerial buckets, crews methodically worked one by one to reach the trapped riders on the green-and-blue ride structure. Red and blue emergency lights flashed across the park while first responders carefully helped frightened kids and their parents to safety.
The painstaking rescue lasted roughly three hours. The final rider was brought down around 10:40 p.m. No one was injured.
A sixth-grade girl who was on the ride later described the scary moments to CBS News.“I knew the situation. I calmed down a couple kids. I was telling them it was OK, they can hold my hand and stuff like that,” she said. “A couple kids were crying. I was trying to calm them down. It was scary at first.”Some of the trapped kids even waved at news helicopters circling overhead as the situation dragged on.
“We were stunned,” a FOX5 reporter on the scene said. “I was like, are people actually stuck?”Adventureland, a Long Island staple for more than 60 years, quickly issued a statement:
“For more than 60 years, Adventureland has enjoyed a proud record of safety and guest satisfaction. 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. Until further review, that ride will not be in service. We appreciate the dedication of the many first responder departments who skillfully assisted in getting our guests off the ride.
”The Wave Twister — described as the first of its kind, featuring spinning gondolas that travel along an L-shaped track, has been shut down indefinitely while investigators try to determine what caused the breakdown. The park was evacuated as crews worked on the rescue.
The dramatic footage of firefighters scaling ladders and operating buckets high above the ground quickly spread across social media, leaving many parents shaken.
For the families involved, what started as a summer night of thrills ended with a very different kind of adrenaline rush, one they’re unlikely to forget anytime soon.
