Six Flags closes Nitro at Great Adventure after rider dies on Georgia coaster

Six Flags has paused operation of Nitro, a coaster at its Great Adventure park in Jackson Township, New Jersey, after a man was thrown from a comparable ride at the company's Georgia park on Monday and killed, CBS Philadelphia and FOX 29 reported.

According to FOX 29, nine coasters across six Six Flags parks in North America were shut as a precaution. A company spokesperson told CBS Philadelphia there is no set date for Nitro to run again.

Cobb County police identified the rider as Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, of Atlanta. FOX 29 said he worked as an IT manager at Wesley International Academy. Police told 6abc the incident on the Goliath coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell happened a little before 4 p.m.

Based on early interviews with witnesses and staff, police said Kariem came out of the ride, struck other passengers and fell below the structure, 6abc reported. FOX 29 said he was found beneath the coaster unresponsive and not breathing. Several others were hurt, and the department's Major Crimes Unit is leading the investigation.

Unnamed witnesses interviewed by ABC News described the man leaving his seat and hitting the train repeatedly as riders tried in vain to grab him, 6abc reported; one said his restraint had come loose. A witness who spoke with CBS News Atlanta said he fell near the end of the ride, according to CBS Philadelphia. No official cause has been announced.

Goliath, open since 2006, plunges 200 feet and tops out near 70 mph, per 6abc and The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Inquirer said the coaster relies on a ratcheting lap bar and that its builder, Bolliger & Mabillard, is looking into the death. A spokesperson for Georgia's Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, which oversees yearly ride inspections, told the Inquirer the agency is reviewing the case.

Nitro debuted in April 2001; Six Flags lists its biggest drop at 215 feet and its top speed at 80 mph, CBS Philadelphia reported.

The Inquirer noted that states, not federal agencies, oversee rides at large U.S. parks, and that rules differ sharply from place to place. An industry trade group estimates the risk of serious injury at 1 in 15.5 million rides, the paper reported.

Cobb County Commission Chairwoman Lisa N. Cupid said "my heart aches for the family who lost a loved one," according to 6abc. Six Flags said it was working with authorities and would withhold further details to protect the family's privacy, CBS Philadelphia reported.

Compiled by True News from reporting by The Philadelphia Inquirer, 6abc Action News, FOX 29 Philadelphia and CBS Philadelphia. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/115