Six Flags temporarily closes New Jersey ride following death on Georgia roller coaster

A hypercoaster inside Jackson Township’s Six Flags location is temporarily closed alongside eight other coasters nationwide as a safety precaution.

That is according to Six Flags parks officials after one person died and several others were injured while riding a roller coaster in Georgia.

The incident occurred Monday afternoon at Six Flags Over Georgia, in Austell, Ga., just outside Atlanta. The park, which is usually closed on weekdays, was open because of Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day.

Cobb County officials said in a statement Monday that a rider died and “others were injured” but did not give specifics about the number of people injured or their conditions.

“We were deeply saddened by the guest incident at one of our parks yesterday,” Six Flags Over Georgia said in a statement provided to The Inquirer. “Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the guest’s family, friends, and loved ones.” A spokesperson added that Six Flags was providing support to guests and team members affected.

Cobb County police identified the victim as Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem on Tuesday. Kariem, 42, was killed after being thrown from the ride, striking other patrons before landing. Additional media reports and eyewitness accounts, including those reported by CNN, indicate Kariem landed on the roof of another attraction.

A Six Flags spokesperson would not confirm which coaster the incident took place on. But at Six Flags Over Georgia, one coaster is closed — the Goliath, a “70-mile-per-hour thrill ride” that goes as high as 200 feet, according to Six Flags’ website. Local TV stations showed footage of the Goliath being evacuated on Monday.

Now, 10 coasters across the United States and Canada — including the Goliath in Georgia and Nitro in New Jersey — are temporarily closed, according to the theme park company.

Six Flags confirmed to The Inquirer that it has temporarily closed the following rides:

A spokesperson said the closures were implemented out of an “abundance of caution.” Six Flags did not say when the rides would reopen.

Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the largest amusement park operator in the country and the world’s largest regional theme park company, according to CNN. An $8 billion merger in 2024 with rival Cedar Fair solidified its claim in an effort to compete with other destination parks, like Disney and Universal.

Monday’s incident took place less than a month after three people sued Six Flags and roller coaster vehicle manufacturer S&S Worldwide, saying a Six Flags coaster gave them “catastrophic brain injuries,” according to the New York Times.

The lawsuits claim the companies are operating defectively designed rides and fail to warn passengers about brain injury risks.

X2, the coaster in focus at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Southern California, is a 200-foot-tall roller coaster with rotating seats that can spin riders all the way around. It reaches speeds of up to 76 mph through twists, dives, and flips.

The New Jersey-located coaster that Six Flags announced is temporarily closed, Nitro, is faster, taller, and older than Goliath, the coaster where Georgia’s accident took place. They also share a manufacturer.

According to Six Flags’ website, Nitro in Jackson Township is 230 feet tall and reaches speeds of 80 mph. The ride features an intense drop and a mile of track through spirals, hills, and an intense U-turn.

It was introduced at the start of the 2001 season and was manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the same company behind the Goliath. Many, if not all, of the coasters Six Flags announced are temporarily closed list Bolliger & Mabillard (or B&M) as their manufacturer.

Nitro is a steel roller coaster that has consistently been ranked high in roller coaster fan ratings. No major injuries have been documented on Nitro.

Still, several incidents and some deaths have occurred at Six Flags Great Adventure since the park’s opening in 1974, including a 1984 Haunted Castle fire that killed eight teenagers and a death in 1987 when a rider fell from Lightnin’ Loops, a now-closed coaster. Reports from the time say the death was caused by an operator error.