Riders get trapped on Texas roller coaster for hours after sudden stop at sharp angle (VIDEO)

Over a dozen customers visiting Six Flags Fiesta Texas over the Memorial Day weekend got stuck on a roller coaster when the ride shut down, forcing first responders to help get them down.

The park confirmed the incident in a statement, saying their Poltergeist roller coaster “stopped in the middle of a ride cycle,” but there have been no reports of injuries. The riders were stuck in an upright position, but the Poltergeist coaster includes multiple loops where the ride could have also stopped upside-down. 

Multiple fire and rescue crews were called to the scene to assist park employees in trying to get the 20 riders down. 

The ride stopped just before noon and all the passengers had been safely rescued by over three hours later. The coaster that malfunctioned will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. 

The incident follows an uptick in travel around the country as numerous businesses have updated their Covid protocols to align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announcement this month that fully vaccinated people can cease wearing masks and social distancing in outdoor and indoor settings. 

Six Flags Fiesta Texas has been one of numerous businesses trying to bring in business on Memorial Day weekend, even tweeting an advertisement for their coasters around the same time the riders became stuck on Saturday.

The park announced last week that it was dropping mask mandates for customers and employees that are fully vaccinated. In their statement, they also retired other pandemic-era protocols such as temperature checks and advanced registration requirements.

Following the announcement, the park further tried to entice customers to visit by offering 20,000 free one-day passes to customers who can prove they got their Covid-19 vaccination.

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