Roller Coaster Malfunction Traps Riders 200 Feet in the Air, Forces Evacuation on Foot

The Magnum XL-200 ride at Cedar Point amusement park in Ohio holds a Guinness World Record title for 'leading edge height’

<p>Josh Lett</p> Rollercoaster stuck 200 ft in the air at Cedar Point amusement park

Josh Lett

Rollercoaster stuck 200 ft in the air at Cedar Point amusement park

Amusement park attendees in Sandusky, Ohio, went on a ride they’ll likely never forget on Monday.

As scores of families flocked to Cedar Point amusement park for some summer fun, one group got much more than they bargained for when the Magnum XL-200 roller coaster malfunctioned and got stuck more than 200 feet in the air, according to CBS News.

Video that circulated on social media showed what appears to be riders being forced to evacuate the ride and walk down a steep set of stairs attached to the attraction to make it back to the ground.

A representative for Cedar Point did not reply to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Tony Clark, director of communications for Cedar Point, told Fox News Digital that the evacuation was due to a "standard ride stoppage” and called it a "check engine light" situation that prevented the roller coaster from restarting as usual.

Josh Lett, a park-goer who captured the incident, shared what he saw on social media alongside the caption, “Glad I wasn’t those folks!” Fox 8 in Cleveland reported

Related: Roller Coaster Traps Riders 150 Feet in the Air for Over an Hour: &#39;We Could Hear People Crying&#39;

<p>Josh Lett</p>

Josh Lett

According to the theme park’s official website, the ride is featured as a Guinness World Record holder for “its leading edge height" which it says "is enough to amaze anybody.” When the ride was first introduced in 1989, it made history as the fastest and steepest complete-circuit coaster in the world.

The ride, which lasts just under three minutes, can reach up to 72 mph.

In 2004, the Magnum XL-200 was recognized for its impressive design as it was given the ACE Roller Coaster Landmark award, cementing its monumental impact, the website states.

The ride’s signature “pretzel turnaround” offers views of Lake Erie’s famed shorelines before returning back to the Cedar Point skyline. The site also notes that on a clear day, riders may be able to catch views of the coast of Canada on the horizon as they twist and turn.



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A company like Cedar Fair, which owns major theme parks throughout the United States and Canada, is actually a master limited partnership and not a stock corporation. That can have tax consequences when you call your broker to make an investment.
A company like Cedar Fair, which owns major theme parks throughout the United States and Canada, is actually a master limited partnership and not a stock corporation. That can have tax consequences when you call your broker to make an investment.

Ohio’s Cedar Point isn’t the only park to face a recent malfunction that trapped riders. Just last month, thrill seekers at the Forest Country Festival in Crandon, Wisconsin, faced a harrowing situation.

While riding the Fireball roller coaster on July 2, the attraction stopped functioning properly, leaving those on board trapped upside down for approximately three hours. Emergency personnel teams were dispatched to assist the group.

“It became stuck in the upright position,” Captain Brennan Cook of the Crandon Fire Department told NBC News at the time. “The ride was recently inspected by the state of Wisconsin here on site, and at this time, we don’t have any other information.” Thankfully, all riders were safely rescued and were released from a local hospital after being checked for injuries.

Related: Bethenny Frankel Gets Stuck on Roller Coaster During Trip to Busch Gardens

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City of Antigo Fire Department Firefighter/EMT, Erica Kostichka, spoke with CBS 58 about seven children who were stuck upside down for hours as a result of the malfunction, calling them "very brave."

"You know a lot of [the kids] you could tell, their legs were shaking, they were sweating, and it was just a matter of letting them know, hey, this is no race to get down to the finish line, the hard part is over," he said.

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