The Coney Island Cyclone, an 88-year-old wooden roller coaster, experienced a mechanical failure on the first day the Luna Park opened Sunday, forcing riders to walk down staircases to exit the ride.
“That was the scariest thing I ever did,”
David Zubin, 24, told amNewYork. “The bricks, walking down, looked like it was going to break when you stepped on it.”
The ride experienced a mechanical issue at the very top of the first peak when the brakes locked in so the coaster didn’t slide back down the hill. Employees had to walk up to help riders evacuate, amNewYork said.
“Coming down was extremely terrifying,”
Diana Elsener, 34, told the New York Post. “I was so excited as we were hitting the peak of that first drop. Then we suddenly jerked to a stop.”
The ride had operated successfully just before this, carrying a group of dignitaries who were part of the park’s opening ceremonies around the track, the Post said. It malfunctioned on the first ride of the year for the general public.
“This ruined my weekend,” Zubin told the Post. “The last thing I wanted to do today was get stranded in the cold for no reason.”
Zubin posted on his Facebook page Saturday night that he was waiting in line to be one of the first 100 to get to ride the Cyclone for free; he said he was No. 2 in line.
The park closed the Cyclone for the day, and an official said it will reopen on Saturday, the next time the park is open.
“Safety is the number one priority for our guests at Luna Park,” spokeswoman Angie Morris told the Post. “This was an isolated mechanical issue and it is quickly being repaired. No one was injured. Those on the ride were safely evacuated and will be able to ride again for free.”