Amusement park guests were left hanging upside down when a ride suddenly malfunctioned.
The AtmosFEAR ride at Oaks Park in Oregon malfunctioned around 2:55PM on Friday (June 14), as reported by KGW8.
The spinning pendulum-style ride, which opened in 2021, usually stops upside down for a moment before swinging back.
However, on Friday, the ride malfunctioned completely, leaving 28 riders stuck upside-down and fearing for their lives as their legs faced the sky.
The scary situation lasted around 30 minutes as the Portland Fire and Rescue (PF&R) manually evacuated everyone by 3:25PM.
"Portland Fire is en route to Oaks Park for a ride that is stuck, with multiple riders. At this point, there are no indications of injury. There is a PIO en route and we will update information until they arrive on, as needed," the fire service penned on X.
"Portland Fire is working with park engineers to manually lower the ride, if possible, and are also preparing the high angle rope rescue team to affect rescues with the ride stuck, as is, if they are unable to manually lower the ride," they added in a second post.
Once all riders were rescued from AtmosFEAR, they were medically evaluated.
Officials have disclosed that there were no reports of injuries.
One rider with a "pre-existing medical condition was taken to a hospital for further evaluation as a precaution," Oaks Amusement Park said in a statement posted on social media. Medics released all other passengers.
Portland teens Daniel Allen and Jordan Harding, who were at the park celebrating their high school graduation, spoke to KGW8 about the incident, sharing that realized something was wrong when the ride didn’t resume after the pause.
“We were just freaking out,” Harding said, adding, “People were crying. They were just putting into the universe what they wanted to say for their last words.”
The teens said that the position they were stuck in was uncomfortable and that Harding’s legs fell asleep from the "waist down".
“I didn’t think I was going to live to see it right now,” Harding told the news outlet.
Parkgoers Chris Ryan and his wife told The Associated Press that they wanted to go on the ride but noticed that it was stuck when they heard people yelling: “Oh my God, they are upside down".
They decided to walk away because of “how scary the situation was,” and eventually got on the Ferris wheel, which was when they heard a loudspeaker announcement that the park was closed and that people should evacuate.
Oaks Amusement Park said that the ride would remain closed until further notice, and disclosed that they would work with manufacturers and state inspectors to "determine the cause of the stoppage".
“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,” they wrote.
“Any park guest who had their visit cut short today will be extended a refund or opportunity to reschedule their visit,” the park added.