Six Flags closes 9 rides across 6 parks after deadly incident

Key points

• Six Flags closed nine rides at six parks after a man died falling from Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia.
• Police identified the victim as 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem of Atlanta.
• The Goliath coaster reaches 70 miles per hour and 200 feet high.

Six Flags has temporarily shut down nine rides at six of its parks following the death of a man who fell from a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday. The park, located in Georgia, was closed Tuesday for a scheduled non-operating day.

Police identified the man who died as 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem of Atlanta. Several other people were injured in the incident, according to police.

What witnesses described

Witnesses said the man fell out of his seat on Goliath, a hypercoaster that reaches 70 miles per hour and 200 feet high. One witness described seeing the man come straight up out of his seat.

Nick Mendenhall, who had ridden Goliath minutes earlier with his teenage son, said everything felt like it was happening in slow motion and called the scene surreal.

Out of an abundance of caution, we have temporarily closed similar attractions across our parks

— a Six Flags spokesperson

Company response and investigation

A Six Flags spokesperson said the company closed similar attractions across its parks out of an abundance of caution, adding that guest and team member safety remains one of its highest priorities. Six Flags did not name the paused rides, but CBS News Philadelphia reported that Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey, was among them.

Six Flags said it is deeply saddened and is cooperating fully with authorities. An investigation is ongoing in Georgia. Brian Avery, a University of Florida professor of legal and risk, said investigators will examine video footage, maintenance logs and statements from witnesses and ride attendants to find the root cause.