Adventureland ride stalls, 16 stranded high above ground in East Farmingdale
Sixteen riders, including a 5-year-old, hung about 25 feet up on Adventureland's Wave Twister until crews freed the last passenger at 10:39 p.m.
A Friday-night trip to Adventureland in East Farmingdale turned into a prolonged rescue when the park’s new Wave Twister stalled with 16 riders stranded high above the ground. Suffolk fire officials were called around 7:25 p.m., and the last passenger was not brought down until 10:39 p.m.
From below, Danielle Paniccia watched her children hang in the air with their feet dangling and tried to stay calm while crews worked. The fire chief later described the ride as stuck in “the worst possible spot,” a location that made the rescue harder because of where the cars stopped on the track and the access rescuers needed to reach them.
News 12 reported that the riders included a 5-year-old with a 40-year-old parent, while the rest were children between 8 and 12 years old. Fire officials said the cars were stopped about 25 feet in the air, even though the ride itself rises much higher, with some descriptions putting its full climb at more than 50 feet.
Rescuers used a ladder truck and a crane, with help from the East Farmingdale Fire Department, Suffolk County Police and other local fire crews. The response stretched late into the evening as park staff and first responders brought riders down one by one, a careful process shaped by the ride’s height and the position where it jammed.
The Wave Twister is one of Adventureland’s newest additions, opening in March 2026 as the world’s first Wave Twist L, according to the park and the ride manufacturer. Adventureland lists the attraction in Legacy Corner and says riders must be at least 48 inches tall to ride alone or 36 inches tall to ride with an adult. The park, which has operated since 1962, says it now has more than 30 rides and attractions.
Adventureland reopened Saturday, but Wave Twister remained closed while the park investigated what caused the breakdown. For Suffolk families headed back to East Farmingdale, that closed ride is the key reminder from the scare: even at a familiar Long Island amusement park, the safety questions do not end when the music stops.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
