Six Flags Closes Nine Coasters After Man Dies in Georgia Ride Fall

Updated 20:58 UTC, Oct 24, 2026. Six Flags will install seat belts on the Goliath coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia and on other coasters that use a similar restraint, the company said on Friday, less than two weeks after Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, was ejected from Goliath and died. President and chief executive John Reilly said the company is reinforcing safety precautions at its parks, in a statement reported by USA Today and the Associated Press. Reilly said Six Flags has also brought in independent engineers and ride inspection specialists to review safety procedures across its attractions. Goliath remains closed pending safety reviews and clearances, and the eight other coasters at five parks in the United States and Canada that share the same manufacturer and a similar clamshell restraint remain shut. Investigators have not said what caused Kariem to come out of the ride.

Updated 06:28 UTC, Oct 17, 2026. Six Flags Over Georgia reopened on Friday, October 16, after closing for four days following the death of Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, on Monday, October 12. The Goliath coaster, the ride Kariem fell from, remains temporarily closed and padlocked, park president Richard Pretlow said in a statement reported by USA Today.

The park also renamed its Fright Fest show. The show called Dr. Fright's Dead Man's Party is now called Dr. Fright's Party, out of respect for Kariem's family, the park told USA Today, in a report carried by the New York Post on Friday.

Kariem's family gave a new account this week. Joshua Nelson, the father of Kariem's 13 year old niece, told WSB-TV on Thursday that his daughter, who was sitting beside Kariem, said Kariem fainted or passed out before his latch snapped or came loose and he fell. Cobb County police said officers found Kariem unresponsive and not breathing beneath the attraction after a call at about 3:58 p.m. on Monday.

Georgia's Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire said the Goliath had no violations, deficiencies, citations or red tags at its mandatory annual inspection in March, TMZ reported. ABC News reported the ride passed its last three inspections with no issues. The ride stays closed until the investigation is complete.

Six Flags closed nine roller coasters at six of its parks on Tuesday, one day after a man fell to his death from a coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia, outside Atlanta.

Cobb County police identified the man as Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, of Atlanta. In a statement, police said early information from witnesses and employees indicates Kariem was ejected from the ride, struck other patrons and fell beneath the attraction. Atlanta stations WSB and 11 Alive reported that he fell from the Goliath roller coaster and that four other people were injured.

Park officials told The New York Times and The Associated Press that the closures are temporary and were made out of an abundance of caution. The nine rides are similar in design to the Georgia coaster, a hypercoaster that reaches a top speed of 70 mph and a maximum height of 200 feet, according to Six Flags. Goliath opened in 2006.

Which rides are closed

According to The New York Times, the shuttered coasters are:

• Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America in Illinois
• Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California
• Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey
• Leviathan and Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario
• Fury 325 and Thunder Striker at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina
• Orion and Diamondback at Kings Island in Ohio

The company has not said how long the rides will stay closed or what inspectors will check before they reopen. Police in Cobb County are still investigating how Kariem came out of the ride.