Shocking footage captures an amusement park ride stopped in mid-air, leaving riders dangling high above the ground.
The Sol Spin ride at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, suddenly malfunctioned Saturday afternoon as it was rotating 360 degrees.
Video from the Citizen App showed about 20 riders stuck in mid-air, with many screaming, some swinging their legs, and others leaning sideways on one of the ride’s six arms.
“The safety of our guests is a top priority. Today the ride did not complete a full cycle as a safety precaution. The ride was stopped for approximately five minutes,” Knott’s Berry Farm said in a statement to ABC7.
The ride then reopened after “a full safety inspection,” the statement continued.
The Independent has reached out to the amusement park for more information.
“This thrilling ride is one for the brave,” Knott’s Farm says of Sol Spin. It rotates riders in three directions simultaneously, according to the park’s website.
“Sol Spin sends guests on a thrilling adventure over six stories high as they rotate in all directions on one of six spinning arms. Each arm rotates 360-degrees independent of one another providing a different experience every ride,” the website states.
Social media users replied to videos of the harrowing incident, calling it a “nightmare.”
One X user remarked: “Oh. Hell. No. One of my worst fears unlocked.”
“What a nightmare!” another said.
Another recalled a similar incident last year, put it succinctly: “Again.”
Last November, the same ride left 22 people suspended in the air for two hours due to “technical difficulties,” a spokesperson for the amusement park said at the time.
Some riders left the thrill ride in wheelchairs while two female guests were taken to the hospital for further evaluation “out of an abundance of caution,” the spokesperson said in November.
