@GHPleasurePier (X)
A school field trip turned into a nightmare for eight students after a roller coaster suddenly broke down, leaving them stranded nearly 100 feet in the air for hours.
The incident took place on May 28 at Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier in Texas, where students were riding the park’s Iron Shark roller coaster.
According to ABC7 News, the ride stopped during its climb up the track, leaving the group stuck high above the pier while emergency crews rushed to the scene.
Firefighters were called to the amusement park shortly after the ride became stranded and spent hours carrying out a careful rescue operation to free the students.
Students rescued after dangling from rollercoaster
Helicopter footage from ABC13 Houston showed responders securing riders with safety equipment before bringing them back to the ground one at a time. The amusement park was temporarily closed while crews worked to free the students.
“We are grateful that all students, staff, and chaperones are safe. School administration is in direct contact with the families of all students who were on the trip,” said Houston Independent School District in a statement shared via ABC.
The rollercoaster in question is Iron Shark, the tallest ride at Pleasure Pier, which climbs roughly 100 feet above the Gulf Coast before plunging back down. As you can imagine, it’s not for the faint of heart and getting stuck near the top only adds to the fear factor.
A terrifying roller coaster rescue is underway in Galveston, Texas Thursday. A car became stuck on a vertical track, leaving eight people dangling at the very top of the ride. Firefighters are using a long-ladder truck to reach the riders several stories above the ground. Crews… pic.twitter.com/Wma3RxQMWQ
— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) May 29, 2026
Landry’s Inc., which owns the park, said the roller coaster experienced a malfunction but stressed that the ride’s safety systems operated as designed.
“Our focus immediately shifted to the safety of our guests. Therefore, we contacted the Fire Department to assist, ensuring all guests were safely removed from the ride. A thorough inspection of the ride will take place before it is placed back in service,” they said.
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While amusement park breakdowns are rare, this isn’t the first incident to go viral this year. Back on May 16, a power outage at Six Flags forced people to walk down the side of a roller coaster track after the ride came to a stop.
