Coaster Death Closes Six Flags Great Adventure Ride

JACKSON, NJ — A popular roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure has been shut down in the wake of a man's death on a similar ride in Georgia, park officials confirmed to Patch Tuesday.

The man, Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, died Monday when he fell from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. Four other people were injured.

Kariem, 42, was a teacher in Atlanta, 11 Alive reported. Witnesses told the TV station they had seen him fall and that he hit the car three times.

Other riders had to be evacuated from the ride after it was halted because Kariem fell, WSB2 Atlanta reported.

"We were deeply saddened by the guest incident at one of our parks yesterday," a Six Flags spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the guest’s family, friends, and loved ones. We are also providing support to the guests and team members affected."

The Six Flags spokesperson said the park team and local authorities responded immediately, and "we cooperated fully with local authorities. Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we will not be sharing additional details at this time."

"Out of an abundance of caution, we have temporarily closed similar attractions across our parks. The safety of our guests and team members is our highest priority," the spokesperson said.

That closure includes Nitro, the spokesperson said. There was no timeline on when it might reopen.

Goliath, at Six Flags Over Georgia, is described as a hypercoaster that reaches 70 mph and 200 feet in the air. It includes "razor-sharp turns and ... colossal hills, each moment amplifying the hypercoaster experience," according to the Six Flags Over Georgia website. It opened in 2006.

Nitro is a hypercoaster as well, and reaches 80 mph and 230 feet in the air. There is another hill that rises 181 feet high and a hammerhead U-turn, according to the Six Flags Great Adventure website.

Both coasters were manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, a Switzerland-based company that specializes in roller coasters.

Nitro, which opened in April 2001, has not had any incidents of serious injuries reported in the news. The ride was closed briefly in 2021 when a safety bar came loose, NJ.com reported at the time.

A spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, which oversees amusement park and carnival rides, was checking the department's records. The Carnival and Amusement Ride division inspects the rides annually, as well as inspecting when an issue arises.

There have been 13 deaths at Six Flags Great Adventure over the park's 52-year history, three of them on the park's roller coasters, including a Pennsylvania woman who fell from Lightnin' Loops in 1987 and a Philadelphia woman who died on Rolling Thunder in 1981 when she vomited during the ride and choked, according to reports from the time.

A second death on Rolling Thunder in 1981 happened when a park employee fell during ride testing; reports said the investigation found he was not using the safety restraints.

Two other park employees died while doing work at the park. One died in 2017 when he was hit by a lift truck while hanging lights in the park; the other, a park mechanic, died in 1977 while trying to make repairs at the Sky Ride, according to reports from the time.

The most significant deaths at Six Flags Great Adventure happened in 1984 when eight teens died in the Haunted Castle attraction after flammable materials inside caught fire when someone flicked a lighter, authorities have said.

While there have been several lawsuits filed against Six Flags Great Adventure regarding injuries that people suffered while riding coasters in the park in Jackson, none of those lawsuits have been regarding Nitro.

In addition to Goliath in Georgia and Nitro, Six Flags has closed the following rides are closed at other parks around the country and in Canada:

• Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America in Santa Clara, California
• Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California
• Leviathan and Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland in Ontario
• Fury 325 and Thunder Striker at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina
• Orion and Diamondback at King's Island in Mason, Ohio.