Firefighters Rescue Passengers Stranded On Broken Down Six Flags Ride Saturday

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Thirty-two people on board a Six Flags America ride Saturday went from exhilarating to frightening after they became trapped.

According to the Prince George's County Fire and EMS Department, emergency workers were called to the amusement park in Largo around 3:25 p.m. for a report of multiple people stuck on a ride called the Steam Whirler. It took around 30 minutes to rescue the 32 people from the ride. Fourteen people were evaluated by paramedics, the fire department stated in a post on X. Riders were suspended in the air for around an hour.

One person was taken to the hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries that weren't related to the ride's malfunction, the fire department reported, but rather was a medical call unrelated to the ride rescue. The ride in question has four arms that can each carry eight people as they spin. It was rolled out in 2024 and Six Flags America ranks it as a "moderate" thrill level.

Typically, amusement park employees are trained to rescue riders quickly, someone went ahead and called 911, park officials told Fox News.

"Additionally, there were no injuries from this ride stop. While PG County Fire did evaluate guests during Saturday’s hot weather, the guest mentioned in their post was not on the ride and the situation was not ride related," the amusement park said in a statement. The ride will remain closed pending a full inspection.

Six Flags America in Bowie will close permanently Nov. 2 after operating for 51 years with around half of those years as part of the Six Flags namesake.

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