A 13-year-old boy prematurely exited a Disneyland ride and ended up tumbling down a 50-foot waterfall.

The incident took place on Sunday (June 21) at Tiana's Bayou Adventure in Anaheim, California, around 40 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.

Footage obtained by TMZ appears to show the teenager twisting and sliding down the attraction's steep drop moments behind a ride vehicle carrying other guests.

Officials at the theme park confirmed that the boy was taken to the hospital as a precaution but was later released.

A 13-year-old boy got off a moving Disneyland ride and tumbled down its 50-foot waterfall. Credit: Gary Hershorn / Getty

Witnesses describe shocking fall

Park visitor Paul, who asked to be identified only by his first name, said he heard someone scream and immediately checked on his grandson.

According to him, his grandson told him he saw the boy fall down the ride's drop "like a rag doll," NBC News reported.

The visitor later took a picture showing guests gathered at the bottom of the attraction looking up toward the waterfall after the incident.

Another person, claiming to be an eyewitness, wrote on Reddit that they "saw a kid fall down the hill," adding: "When we got off there were about six Disney police and a mother and two kids were with them all soaked."

A third person, who has claimed to know someone working at the theme park, alleged the teenager had "slid backwards" down the incline and "sustained a lot of cuts and scrapes".

Fortunately, they added that "luck was on his side" because "he didn't hit his head".

Ride cleared after investigation

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health launched an investigation into the attraction.

Spokesperson Katherine Wzorek said inspectors "did not find any operational issues".

Officials also confirmed the ride was cleared to reopen, with Disneyland stating it was back up and running by Tuesday.

Tiana's Bayou Adventure is inspired by Disney's 2009 animated hit The Princess and the Frog. Credit: Gary Hershorn / Getty

Tiana's Bayou Adventure is inspired by Disney's 2009 animated hit The Princess and the Frog and officially opened at Disneyland in November 2024 after replacing Splash Mountain, which closed the previous year.

Like many log flume attractions, the ride does not feature seatbelts or lap bars. While some guests have questioned this following the incident, the boats are built with a low centre of gravity, helping riders remain safely seated throughout the ride.

Safety experts have also noted that restraints can create additional risks if the vehicle were ever to overturn in water.

Not the first rider to leave the attraction

The 13-year-old is not the first person to step out of a Tiana's Bayou Adventure ride vehicle before the ride had finished.

Last year, a video shared on TikTok showed a guest climbing out of a log flume vehicle at Disney World to retrieve a hat that had flown off during the same drop.

Months earlier, another clip appeared to show a man and his son leaving a ride vehicle after becoming stranded.

Witnesses claimed the man had grown frustrated after waiting around 10 minutes and tried to find an exit before eventually being escorted away with his family, per Manchester Evening News.

Neither of those incidents resulted in injuries.

Featured image credit: Gary Hershorn / Getty

A six-year-old boy was enjoying a zipline in a Mexican amusement park before it went horrifically wrong when his harness snapped and he plummeted 40 feet.

The boy, who has been identified as Cesar, was enjoying a day with his family at Parque Fundidora's Amazonian Expedition which is located in the Mexican state of Nuevo León.

As reported by Fox News, Cesar and an adult male were using a zip line that was suspended 40 feet above an artificial pool, with the man right next to the six-year-old guiding him along.

All seemed to be going well with both having fun, but things then took a turn when Cesar's harness suddenly snaps and he plummeted into the pool below.

A video of the incident has emerged online and screams can be heard from the person recording when the six-year-old falls.

Nataly Moreno, the boy's sister, took to Facebook where she scolded the amusement park for not being trained to deal with such events.

"My younger brother of 6 years climbed a zipline in that park, in the middle of the journey his harness broke and he fell into the water, a lagoon of 5-10 meters," Nataly wrote. "Fortunately, there was another tourist nearby and he jumped in to save him, from how deep the gentleman was, he was also drowning."

Nataly went on to explain that her brother and boyfriend raced to the scene where they jumped in and saved Cesar and the man who had attempted to help him.

"The park doesn't have people trained for these kinds of situations, none of them went to help pull him out of the water," Nataly continued. "Terrible park, it's amazing how disastrous things can happen in the blink of an eye. I just thank god my Cesar is doing fine."

Another relative of Cesar, Mayra Hernandez, also took to Facebook where she claimed that none of the staff at the amusement park knew how to swim.

"The staff didn't know what to do and didn't know how to swim," she wrote. "Thanks to the fact that we were close we were able to get him safe as a family member jumped in to get him out of the water. Due to poor training of staff everything could have been worse. The harness popped mid ride!"

As per the Daily Mail, the Nuevo León Civil Protection made a statement where they said that Cesar sustained no injuries and walked out of the park with his family.

Fundidora Park has announced that all attractions have been suspended pending an investigation into the zip line and the company that operates it.

"In this Park's new era, the priority is the experience and safety of our visitors," Fundidora Park said. "So, we will continue to implement the necessary measures to guarantee that the companies rigorously comply with their contracts."

Despite being shaken up, we're glad Cesar was able to walk away unharmed.

Featured image credit: Wolfgang Kaehler / Getty

The father of the 14-year-old boy who fell to his death from an Orlando amusement park ride has spoken out about his son's final moments.

On Thursday evening, teenager Tyre Sampson passed away after falling from the Orlando Free-Fall ride at ICON Park on Internation Drive.

The 430-foot ride was one of the park's newest attractions, having just opened back in December, and was boasted as "the world’s tallest free-standing drop tower". Per an Instagram post advertising the attraction, the ride tilts guests "30 degrees forward" and drops them "at over 75 mph".

However, at around 11:00PM on March 24, tragedy struck as Tyre fell to his death from the attraction. Authorities say the boy was transported to a nearby hospital, but shortly succumbed to his injuries.

Now, the teenager's father - Yarnell Sampson - has spoken out about his son's final moments.

In an interview with Fox News 35, the grieving father revealed that Tyre was visiting Orlando from St. Louis through a football program, and had decided to ride the attraction with two of his friends.

But Sampson says that his son voiced his concerns about his safety prior to his death.

"He was panicking when he was going up," the father told Fox News 35. "When the ride took off, that’s when he was feeling uncomfortable. He was like, 'What’s going on?' That’s when he started freaking out, and he was explaining to his friend next to him, 'I don’t know man. If I don’t make it down, please tell my Mom and Daddy I love them.'

"For him to say something like that, he must have felt something," Mr. Sampson said.

"This should never happen to anyone else's child ever again, and if I have anything to do with this, it will not happen ever again," he added.

The father also revealed that his son was "an honor roll student" and had "a bright future". At 6ft 5" tall and 325lbs, he was also a promising young football player.

Speaking to KMOV, the boy's father added that his son was a fighter, adding: "I could not ask for a better son."

The New York Post has reported that the family has now enlisted personal injury attorney Ben Crump - who has also served as the representative for Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Jacob Blake.

Fox News 35 reports that investigators with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services - which inspects amusement park attractions and rides - are investigating the tragedy. Additionally, local police have opened an investigation into the incident.

Per the ICON Park website, the Orlando Free-Fall is owned and operated by the Slingshot Group of Companies.

Our thoughts continue to go out to Tyre's family, friends, and loved ones, as well as all of those affected by this tragedy.

Featured image credit: Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg 9+ / Alamy

The teenager who plunged to his death during a late-night ride on a 430-foot-tall free fall attraction at a Florida amusement park ride has been identified as 14-year-old Tyre Sampson, The Independent reports.

On Thursday, Tyre, from Missouri, had been enjoying a night of attractions at the ICON Park on International Drive and ultimately went on one of the park's newest rides: the Orlando Free-Fall.

According to the Orange County Sheriff's Office, the youngster fell from the ride at around 11:00 PM, with park guests having witnessed the tragic event unfold.

As reported by The Independent, Tyre, who was a straight-A student, was on vacation with a friend's family. Following the fall, he was rushed to hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Tyre's name was released by Orange County Sheriff John Mina at a press conference on Friday, who said that the evidence thus far indicated that the young boy's death was "a terrible tragedy".

Per Fox News 35, officials at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services - which inspects amusement park attractions and rides - will be investigating the incident at the park.

Recalling the horrific ordeal, one eyewitness told Fox News 35: "At first we thought it was a piece of the ride or whatever until we got a little closer and it was a person laying on the ground," before adding: "Everyone was just panicking and screaming."

John Stine, the director of sales and marketing for Slingshot Group of Companies (which owns the park), told The Associated Press on Friday morning: "We are absolutely saddened and devastated by what happened, and our hearts go out this young man's family."

He also insisted that the ride had been operating with "all the safety precautions in mind".

"Everything is in place and this is why we are doing this investigation," Stine added, per The Independent. Local police have also launched an investigation into the incident.

Speaking to WFTV, Stine also said: "Our hearts are broken for that family of the young man, and, again, we're going to do everything we can to work with the investigating authorities to get to the matter of this [incident]."

Featured image credit: Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg 9+ / Alamy

A 911 caller has claimed that the teenager who fell to his death from a free-fall ride at a Florida amusement park ride was not strapped in properly.

Tyre Sampson was just 14 years old when he lost his life in the tragic accident at ICON Park last Thursday (March 24).

Per Fox 35, eyewitnesses say they saw the teenager falling from the ride and plummeting to the ground as the ride dropped. Many were prompted to call emergency services as the tragedy unfolded before their eyes.

In one call, the witness claims that Tyre was not correctly strapped in, saying: "I don't know from where he fell. They didn't secure the seatbelt on him."

In another, the caller describes the teenager's body when it hit the ground."They're saying he's breathing, but he's not responsive. Looks like his arms are broken and his legs," he says, adding: "He's face down, there's blood everywhere. He's not breathing. I've checked his pulse, there's no pulse."

The Orlando Free Fall attraction which Tyre fell from opened in December. Billed as the world's tallest free-standing drop tower, the ride elevates up to 30 guests into the air then drops 400 feet at 70 mph, per Fox 35.

Ride owners SlingShot Group say they do not know what went wrong for Tyre to fall out. Spokesperson John Stine told CBS News: "The way the ride is designed, with all the safety features and redundancy, there shouldn't be an issue."

Meanwhile, the teen's dad, Yarnell Sampson, gave a heartbreaking account to Fox 35 of his son's final moments. Originally from Missouri, Tyre was on vacation with friends when he visited the park. But according to his dad, he didn't feel comfortable on the ride from the start.

"He was panicking when he was going up," he said, adding: "That's when he started freaking out, and he was explaining to his friend next to him, 'I don't know man. If I don't make it down, please tell my mom and daddy I love them.'"

The grieving parent went on to say that: "This should never happen to anyone else's child ever again, and if I have anything to do with this, it will not happen ever again."

ICON Park said in a statement that "Our heartfelt thoughts are with [Tyre's] family and friends," adding: "We are in close coordination and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement and regulators regarding our tenant, the SlingShot Group."

Featured Image Credit: VIAVAL / Alamy