Six Flags Great Adventure Closes Nitro Hypercoaster After Teacher’s Fatal Fall From Similar Ride
Six Flags Great Adventure has temporarily closed its Nitro roller coaster after a teacher fell to his death from a similar attraction in Georgia on Monday.
The Jackson Township, New Jersey, park said Nitro was taken out of service “out of an abundance of caution” as investigators examine the fatal incident at Six Flags Over Georgia. Hassan Kariem, a 42-year-old teacher described as beloved, reportedly slipped from his restraint on the Goliath coaster, struck other riders and fell to his death.
Great Adventure’s 215-foot-tall hypercoaster, which offers views stretching toward Philadelphia, is among nine similar rides at Six Flags parks across North America that have been closed since Kariem’s death.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we have temporarily closed similar attractions across our parks,” Six Flags said in a statement. “The safety of our guests and team members remains one of our highest priorities.”
The amusement park operator said investigators are working to determine exactly what went wrong on the Georgia ride.
The fatal accident and the resulting ride closures came during one of the busiest periods of the theme park calendar: the annual fall season.
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More coverage on the Six Flags death in Georgia
Six Flags Great Adventure’s Fright Fest is scheduled to continue through Halloween, though it remains uncertain whether Nitro will reopen before the event concludes.
Nitro and Goliath were both designed by Swiss coaster manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, whose rides account for eight of the nine attractions temporarily taken offline.
Several of the affected coasters are equipped with safety belts that serve as a secondary safeguard alongside the lap restraints holding riders in place.
However, travel blogger Nathan Kerney said Goliath does not use those additional belts—and neither does Nitro.
There is no indication yet that the absence of seatbelts played a role in the deadly incident. Six Flags did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The latest closures follow Magic Mountain’s permanent retirement of its X2 roller coaster in California in late September. More than 100 riders had claimed the attraction caused severe head injuries.
One 25-year-old woman was reportedly still on a ventilator two months after allegedly suffering a catastrophic brain injury on the ride.
