More than a dozen individuals, including two 13-year-old girls, experienced a terrifying incident last month when an amusement park ride on the Ocean City, New Jersey boardwalk unexpectedly stalled, leaving them suspended upside down. The malfunction occurred on the "Wipe Out" attraction at Playland's Castaway Cove the day after the Fourth of July.
Charlotte Hacker and Emilia Gordon, both 13, were among the passengers on the ride that evening. They recounted being trapped in an inverted position for approximately five to seven minutes, a duration which felt significantly longer to them.
"We were stuck upside down for five to seven minutes, and it doesn't seem like that much to the people that were down watching us, but we were up there, and it felt like an hour," Hacker stated recently.
The girls had visited the boardwalk to celebrate Gordon's upcoming 13th birthday. Regular visitors to the park's attractions, they decided to try the "Wipe Out" because it was a newer addition. The ride is designed to swing like a pendulum, repeatedly rotating its passenger compartment and turning riders upside down. However, on this occasion, it came to an inexplicable halt with everyone suspended.
Terrifying Ordeal on the Boardwalk
The experience was deeply frightening for the young passengers. Gordon described feeling on the verge of losing consciousness due to the prolonged inversion.
"I seriously thought I was going to pass out," Gordon shared. "You try to put your head up, but you literally can't. You can barely get it up at all."
Seated side-by-side, the two friends attempted to engage in ordinary conversation as a distraction, struggling with the sensation of blood rushing to their heads. A significant fear for Gordon was the possibility of the safety restraints failing.
"I remember thinking that the lap bars were going to open and that we were just going to fall," Gordon recalled.
Family members who were waiting on the ground were equally distressed by the sight of their loved ones stuck. Hacker mentioned her uncle's reaction.
"My uncle was there too, because we were all with my cousins, so he was also freaking out," Hacker said.
Aftermath and Compensation
Eventually, the ride's operators were able to reactivate the mechanism. However, to the girls' dismay, the ride continued its full cycle. Even after it concluded, they reported that they were not immediately released from their seats for several additional minutes.
The precise cause of the malfunction remains undisclosed, and it is unclear whether any injuries were officially reported as a result of the incident. Despite the harrowing experience for those aboard, Hacker noted that the ride did not cease operations; some individuals apparently remained in line and rode it shortly after their ordeal.
Upon their descent, the girls were met with applause from onlookers.
"When we came off, people were literally clapping," Gordon stated.
Playland's Castaway Cove offered the girls refunds for their ride tickets. However, both teenagers felt this gesture was insufficient given the traumatic nature of their experience.
"That ride is five tickets, so they just gave back our ticket but [Hacker] only got three back. I got five. But still, after all that, I feel like you expect more," Gordon expressed.
