Visitors seeking excitement at Hershey Park had to be rescued from the park’s oldest roller coaster on Sunday after the ride ground to a halt due to unspecified “ride off-guest issues.”
The Comet, a wooden coaster that’s been around for 75 years, stopped at around 5 PM, forcing it to shut down during the busy amusement park day.
According to officials, “Comet experienced a temporary stop caused by an unrelated off-ride guest issue. Our team safely helped guests exit the ride and returned them to the station without any problems before resuming operations.”
Videos taken by bystanders captured the moment the ride halted midway up one of its initial climbs, allowing for an easy trek back down.
Interestingly, the Comet lacks the upside-down loops that often lead to more complicated ride malfunctions. Instead, it features gentle hills and drops that were quite groundbreaking when it opened in 1946.
It now sits between more well-known thrill rides in the park, like Skyrush, which boasts a prominent, steep yellow tower visible from the parking area.
This has been quite a chaotic summer for the Pennsylvania amusement destination.
Just last week, a child got stuck in the monorail line, and a quick-thinking dad had to swoop in to save the day, reaching the boy just in time.
The dad later shared he acted on instinct and noted that the child wasn’t resistant, saying he “came straight away” to his dad.
Fortunately, the monorail was shut down just when the incident occurred, avoiding any potential mishaps.
Earlier in July, a tragic event involved a 9-year-old girl who was found unconscious in a wave pool at the park.
Sofia Subedy’s body was pulled from the water after being observed in distress. Lifeguards performed CPR for several minutes, but sadly, it was too late.
Her family described her in her obituary as someone who “brought joy and light to everyone who knew her,” noting she was a bright, kind, and loving young girl.
