The Coney Island Cyclone remains closed indefinitely after the iconic rollercoaster malfunctioned Thursday and riders had to be evacuated.
The near-century-old wooden coaster’s train got stuck on the rails mid-ride on Thursday. Staff from Luna Park, which operates the historic coaster, escorted passengers off the steep, rickety tracks and indefinitely halted the ride’s operation, pending repairs. No injuries were reported in the ordeal.
The city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) then inspected the Cyclone on Friday and hit Luna Park with code violations; the ride cannot reopen until the park fixes them and passes a DOB inspection.
DOB said that the ride had malfunctioned due to a “crack on the chain sprocket,” and Luna Park was hit with violations including failing to maintain the ride and failing to inform the city in a timely manner.
A spokesperson for Luna Park noted the 97-year-old rollercoaster is “meticulously maintained and tested daily,” and said evacuations for safety are not uncommon.
“We will reopen the Cyclone roller coaster when the repair is complete and the ride passes its DOB inspection,” said the Luna Park spokesperson.
The Cyclone opened in 1927 during Coney Island’s heyday, and its long history mirrors that of the People’s Playground. By the mid-20th century, the rollercoaster had deteriorated in tandem with Coney Island’s amusement parks, and was slated for the wrecking ball until being saved in the 1970s. The ride has malfunctioned and shut down several times since then.
On Sunday, visitors to Coney Island found the Cyclone ticket booth shuttered, the ride’s entrance closed off — and the familiar clacking sound of the coaster climbing the tracks, followed by screams of delight conspicuously absent.
Clark Ivers and Yasmine Larasati, who came to Coney Island on Sunday from their homes in Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights, were disappointed that the ride was shut down, but relieved they didn’t wind up on the ill-fated ride Thursday.
“I feel kind of relieved that that didn’t happen to me,” Ivers said. “She’s an adrenaline junkie, but I’m not, and this was on her list to do for a while.”
“But yeah, I would like to be able to do it. That kind of sucks,” he continued. “You know, it’s like an iconic thing, it’s nice to check it off the bucket list and now I can’t.”
Another Brooklynite visiting Coney on Sunday, Shatoya Artis of Sheepshead Bay, said she has never ridden the Cyclone partly because she believes the ride — at nearly 100 years old, being “older than my grandmother,” as she told amNewYork Metro — isn’t safe.
“The wood, it doesn’t look stable. And you know, it would be wise to change the wood things…because it’s not safe at all,” Artis remarked. “It hasn’t been safe for years. Everyone’s scared. They get on this ride specifically because they are afraid of it not being safe.”
Still, Artis said she would be willing to ride the Cyclone once repairs are made and if the park can prove the ride is safe.
“For the first time in my life? Yes,” she said. “After they did a lot of work to fix it and ensure everyone’s safety, absolutely. But I think they never did that, until something happened.”
