LARGO, Md. — Two dozen riders were stuck on a stalled roller coaster for more than three hours Thursday night at Six Flags America in Maryland, authorities said.
Firefighters arrived at the amusement park about 6 p.m. EDT and began working to safely bring down 24 riders stranded on the Joker’s Jinx, said Mark E. Brady, spokesman for the Prince George’s County Fire Department.
The final riders were not helped down until after 9 p.m., Brady said. No injuries were reported.
“To me, its always seemed like the scariest ride,” said Julia Valverde, 15, who was stuck on the ride. “I was kind of stalling it the whole day. I was like, ‘Let’s do something else beforehand,’ because it always terrified me.”
“Joker’s Jinx did not complete its regular ride cycle causing it to stop at a safe location on the track,” Six Flags said in a statement. “The safety of our guests is our highest priority and the ride will be closed for a thorough inspection before re-opening.”
On its website, Six Flags America says the ride normally lasts for just more than a minute and reaches a speed of 60 mph.
This isn’t the first time riders have been stranded on the Joker’s Jinx. A similar incident occurred in 2014, when 24 riders were stuck and it took more than four hours to rescue them. No one was injured in that incident.
