Video shows child being rescued from Cyclone ride at Coney Island's Luna Park
NEW YORK – The world-famous Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster closed Friday after a malfunction that forced riders to be rescued on Thursday.
The Department of Buildings has now issued violations.
Coney Island's Cyclone closed for maintenance after getting stuck
Video from Thursday shows a 12-year old girl being rescued from the stalled, malfunctioning Cyclone. In a brief conversation off-camera, the girl told CBS News New York she was in the third row with her friend laughing on the way up, then scared, she said, when seconds turned into minutes suspended in mid-air.
A day later, the ride was still stuck in the same position.
Friday, the Cyclone gates were shut with no employees or posted announcements in sight, disappointing locals and tourists alike.
"I little disappointed, I must say. This is my first time to Coney Island and I was really looking forward to it. It's such a historic ride," Sanjai Agarwal said.
"That was the one thing we came down for, but never mind. We'll take some photos," one tourist said.
"The whole point was to come here and ride it," Ed Carlone said.
"I checked the website and it said it was open, and I was like, aw man," another person said. "I'm just kinda sad and confused. It's my favorite ride!"
The Luna Park website has since been updated with a brief notice reading, "Cyclone closed for routine maintenance."
Department of Buildings issues violations to Luna Park for Cyclone malfunction
The DOB, which was on site Friday, described what they found differently, telling CBS News New York they will be issuing two violations to Luna Park: one for a crack in a chain that they say caused the malfunction, and a second for not alerting the DOB to the issue.
CBS News New York reached out to Luna Park for comment. They sent us the following statement:
"At Luna Park in Coney Island, safety is our number one priority and ride maintenance, and thorough testing happens daily before Luna Park opens and throughout the day as necessary. The Coney Island Cyclone is a 97-year-old roller coaster that is meticulously maintained and tested daily. It is not uncommon to stop a ride and evacuate the ride if an issue arises for the safety of our guests. The Coney Island Cyclone is currently closed due do a mechanical problem that developed yesterday and is currently undergoing repairs. We will reopen the Cyclone roller coaster when the repair is complete and the ride passes its DOB inspection."
The DOB said the Cyclone will be closed until repairs are done and re-inspected.