A family of four was left dangling about 120 feet in the air for nearly three hours on a broken ride at Six Flags in Missouri before firefighters finally rescued them, according to reports.
Two adults and two children were riding the Sky Screamer – an extreme spinning swing attraction that peaks at 236 feet – at the St. Louis amusement park Thursday when the thrill ride suddenly malfunctioned and screeched to a halt around 5:30 p.m., a Six Flags spokesperson told KSDK.
Maintenance crews initially tried to manually lower the ride, but when that failed, emergency responders were called in to help.
“The family that was up there was absolutely amazing,” spokesperson Elizabeth Gotway said.
“They were so calm. They had great attitudes.”
Rescue crews used a crane to reach the stranded riders, strapping them into safety harnesses and then lowering them to the ground after being trapped for two and a half hours, WCNC reported.
No injuries were reported.
It remains unclear why the attraction – part of a class of rides across the country known as “Star Flyers” – malfunctioned.
“Every single day, our maintenance tests it every day, our ride operators test it every day,” Gotway said, noting the terrifying ordeal was the first high-angle rescue at the park.
“It has to be signed off by multiple maintenance departments before it can be opened, and that’s for every single ride we have. If there aren’t X amount of sign-offs, it just does not open.”
Meanwhile, a brush fire erupted beneath the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles Thursday afternoon.
Fire crews responded five minutes later and swiftly put out the raging flames below the popular coaster.
No injuries were reported during the fire, and no evacuations were necessary.