Famed Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster is shut down after mid-ride malfunction
The famous Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster in New York City has been shut down indefinitely after coming to a stop mid-ride last week
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The famous Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster in New York City was shut down indefinitely after coming to a stop mid-ride this week.
The 97-year-old wooden roller coaster at Luna Park was on its ascent on Thursday when ride operators took it out of service due to a damaged chain sprocket in the motor room. The operator stopped the ride and several people were removed from the roller coaster without injury, according to New York City’s Department of Buildings.
Video posted on social media shows a person being carefully escorted down the tracks.
Inspectors with the buildings department were at the scene Friday and issued the owners of Luna Park violations for the damaged equipment and for failure to immediately notify the department about the incident.
A posting on Luna Park's website Sunday said the Cyclone will reopen when the repair is complete and the ride passes inspection.
“At Luna Park in Coney Island, safety is our number one priority and ride maintenance, and thorough testing happens daily before Luna Park opens and throughout the day as necessary,” the statement read. “The Coney Island Cyclone is a 97-year-old roller coaster that is meticulously maintained and tested daily.”