Terrifying Video Shows Dozens of Park-Goers Trapped Upside Down on Ride

A TikTok video showed dozens of park-goers trapped upside down on a ride at Oaks Amusement Park in Portland, Oregon, on Friday.

Emergency crews rescued 28 people who ended up stuck on the AtmosFEAR on Friday afternoon after they were left in midair for about 30 minutes.

A park-goer, who goes by Chris Ryan on TikTok, filmed the terrifying event and posted it to his page. The video showed the ride upside down at a 90-degree angle while the people remained strapped in their seats, with their feet dangling in the air.

Chris then went on the Ferris wheel and filmed the AtmosFEAR from the top. “We just asked the lady at the bottom of the Ferris wheel if this has ever happened before, and she said no. And she says she’s actually concerned for them,” he says in the video.

As Chris was filming, the amusement park made an announcement telling its guests that they were closing down. “Please vacate the park immediately,” the voice on the loud speaker said.

Zooming into the riders stuck upside down, Chris said, “That is actually f***ing terrifying. Jesus Christ, I hope those people are OK.”

Newsweek reached out to Chris via Instagram direct message for comment.

In a press release sent to Newsweek on Saturday afternoon, Oaks Amusement Park said that the ride stopped at about 2:55 p.m. PDT.

“Oaks Park staff immediately initiated emergency procedures and called 911,” the release said. “Emergency responders arrived at approximately 3:20 PM.”

The amusement park said that the emergency crews were able to get the riders down safely within minutes.

‘Scary and Traumatizing’

In a follow-up TikTok video from Chris, he showed a line of park-goers’ vehicles trying to exit the area while a line of emergency vehicles flooded into the park. Chris then filmed the AtmosFEAR, which had started up again, moving in a pendulum motion.

Chris explained in another TikTok update, “The park had to be evacuated and as we were in line trying to leave, we heard screams and that is when we noticed the ride had came back on and they had to go side-to-side before they could even get back off.”

He added: “That was a crazy thing to see and I could only imagine how scary and traumatizing that would have been for the people that were actually stuck up there.”

All the passengers on the AtmosFEAR were assessed by Portland Fire & Rescue and American Medical Response, and one rider with pre-existing medical conditions went to the hospital to be evaluated “out of an abundance of caution,” according to the press release provided to Newsweek.

Oaks Amusement Park said that the ride has operated without incident since it was launched in 2021.

“Oaks Park Management was in immediate contact with the manufacturer and will work with both the manufacturer and state inspectors to identify the cause of the stoppage,” the release said.

The park expressed its gratitude to everyone who helped the stuck riders and said that they were thankful that everyone is safe.

“We wish to express our deepest appreciation to the first responders and our staff for taking prompt action, leading to a positive outcome today, and to the rest of the park guests who swiftly followed directions to vacate the park to make way for the emergency responders to attend to the situation,” the release added. “Most of all, we are thankful that the riders are safe and with their families.”

The AtmosFEAR is closed until further notice and the park offered guests who had their visit cut short by the incident a refund or opportunity to reschedule a visit.