UPDATE: Kingda Ka & El Toro Re-Open Following Safety Concerns at Six Flags Great Adventure

Update (July 5, 2023): Kingda Ka is Open

The popular Six Flags roller coaster, King Ka, has reopened following closure earlier in June.

The ride is now listed as open on the park's app, following its initial closure which occured on June 5.

Our original story appears below:

Original Story (June 15, 2023):

The launch cable for Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ snapped while riders were on the popular roller coaster on June 5, according to reports from Inside the Magic & our sister station, NJ101.5. 

Thankfully, no one was hurt and the ride made it back to the launch pad safely, park officials tell Townsquare Media's Dan Alexander. 

"The department was notified of an incident occurring on Kingda Ka, involving a mechanical failure of a component of the launch system during the launch of one of the trains," the park's Department of Community Affairs spokeswoman Petty-Dixon said. "Due to this failure during launch, the train did not accelerate to the adequate speed to transition over the apex and returned back through the launch track and to the load/unload station for evacuation."

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Phew. I wonder if the riders realized what was going on. Did the cable make a loud noise when it snapped?  I'm not sure, but I do know that all the riders made it off the coaster safely.

Kingda Ka is the fastest and tallest roller coaster in the world. You travel 456 feet up in the air and go from 0 to 128 miles per hour in 3 1/2 seconds as you go straight up 90 degrees, the article says.

Wow. That's not my kind of ride (I'm a scaredy cat), but it's crazy popular. There's no official word on how long the ride will stay closed for repairs.

El Toro Coaster Re-Opens After Lengthy Closure

This is actually the second time in less than a year that Six Flags Great Adventure has had a scary coaster incident.

Back in August of last year (2022), El Toro, was responsible for injuring 19 riders after a bumpy ride forced its closure. Five passengers were taken to a local hospital to be treated for back, neck and other minor injuries. After an investigation, it was determined that the ride was "structurally compromised."

After being closed for ten months and a re-testing phase, the roller coaster will be reopened on Saturday (June 17, 2023), according to New Jersey 1015. 

A Six Flags Season Pass holders will get to ride El Toro first at 9:30 am and everyone will be permitted on starting at 1:30 pm. For more information, click here.

Six Flags Great Adventure is located in Jackson, NJ.