Riders on Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey will soon have an additional safety restraint as the amusement park company makes changes following a deadly roller coaster incident in Georgia.
Six Flags announced plans to install seat belts on three roller coasters across the country, including Nitro at the amusement park in Jackson.
The move comes after Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, fell to his death from the Goliath roller coaster at a Six Flags Over Georgia in Mableton, just outside Atlanta, earlier this month.
According to witnesses, Kariem was “ejected from the ride and struck other patrons before falling beneath the attraction,” NBC News reported.
Kariem’s family and Atlanta Public Schools confirmed he was an employee at Wesley International Academy, a public charter school for kindergarten through eighth grade.
Following Kariem’s death, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation temporarily closed nine roller coasters across six amusement parks, including Nitro.
Like Goliath, Nitro previously relied solely on a clam-shell-shaped lap bar to secure riders. The addition of seat belts will introduce another restraint on both attractions.
Nitro first opened at Six Flags Great Adventure in 2001. The ride reaches a height of 230 feet with a 215-foot drop and travels at 80 mph.
There have been no reported deaths or injuries in the ride’s history. However, in 2014, a power outage led to passengers being stuck on the ride’s first 230-foot hill.
