Arizona Man Climbs Out of Moving Roller Coaster, Claims ‘I Had Mere Seconds to Act’ After Safety Bar Unlatched

Mar. 15, 2025

Castles-N-Coasters park in Phoenix, Arizona.Photo:Castles-N-Coasters

Castles-N-Coasters

An amusement park visitor in Phoenix is thankful for his quick thinking.

On Sunday, Nov. 24, the unidentified man narrowly escaped a scary moment onboard the double-loop Desert Storm roller coaster at the Castles N’ Coasters amusement park after he realized his safety bar was unlatched.

He then quickly got to his feet and walked off the moving coaster as it ascended to the top of its initial climb on the chain lift.

“We start the climb, and you hear the click of the chain of the normal roller coaster,” the man, who had visited the park for his niece’s birthday, told NBC News affiliateKPNX.

“We get just about to the top and I hear a click different from the click of the chain taking us up and so I checked my lap bar one last time and it released,” he claimed. The man then made the split-second decision to climb off the ride.

dszc / Getty Images.Skyline of Phoenix, Arizona

Skyline of Phoenix, Arizona

“I had mere seconds to act on whether I stayed on or got off,” he told the outlet.

The man said the ride’s operator didn’t realize he had walked off the rollercoaster until he got back on the ground, telling KPNX, “She should have been watching that car and when she saw me climbing out she should have been able to hit an emergency release, should have been able to do something.”

The man recalled to the outlet hearing the lap bar click into place before the ride started and that he “pushed up” on the latch himself. He added that the operator “looked” at the latch but claims she failed to physically check it was secure before the ride started.

The man filed a report to Castles N’ Coasters following the incident, per KPNX.

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According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Arizona is one of eight states that does not regulate its amusement parks, reportedNBC News,

“I think all amusement parks that basically have people’s lives in their hands need to be better regulated,” the man said to KPNX. “I think the scariest part was the negligence of their part and just the absolute carelessness that they had throughout the entire thing.”

PEOPLE has reached out to Castles N’ Coasters for further comment.

The Sol Spin at Knott’s Berry Farm in 2017.Keith Durflinger/MediaNews Group/San Gabriel Valley Tribune via Getty

Keith Durflinger/MediaNews Group/San Gabriel Valley Tribune via Getty

The incident comes after 22 riders spent multiple hourssuspended in the airfollowing a ride malfunction at Knott’s Berry Farm, Calif. on Monday, Nov. 18.

A spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement that the Sol Spin ride “experienced technical difficulties, causing the ride to stop mid-cycle.”

On Aug. 18, riders were alsoleft dangling 242 feet in the airafter a storm suddenly hit Six Flags Mexico in Mexico City.

“Sky Screamer resumed normal operations shortly after,” the park continued, before noting that “the safety of our visitors and employees is our top priority.”

source: people.com