A High-Altitude Scare at Idlewild: Riders Brought to Safety After Coaster Stops Mid-Track

Three guests at Idlewild & SoakZone got far more thrill than they bargained for Monday when their ride decided to call it quits halfway through.

According to KDKA, one of the cars on the park's Wild Mouse roller coaster ground to a halt along its steel track around 5 p.m., leaving riders stranded roughly 50 feet in the air for more than an hour.

The Darlington Volunteer Fire Company, backed by Mutual Aid EMS and Ligonier Valley Police, stepped in to bring the guests safely back to earth.

Monica Johnson, who was on the ride with her 8-year-old cousin, told WTAE the moment caught her completely off guard.

"I don't go on roller coasters. This was one of my first roller coasters, so my eyes were shut," she said. "We were at the middle point, and we just stopped. ... I was like, just give it a second. Maybe we might just start moving. I have anxiety. I was panicking."

Rescue crews deployed a mechanical lift to lower every rider to the ground, news reports said.

"They calmed me down because I saw that they were being fast, I saw that they were actually trying to do something," Johnson said.

Herschend Family Entertainment, which owns the park, said in a statement that the ride "experienced an unexpected stoppage."

"Darlington Volunteer Fire Company safely evacuated three guests from the car, and no injuries have been reported. The ride will be temporarily closed while a review is conducted," the statement continued.

For Johnson, relief didn't fully register until her feet were nearly on solid ground again.

"When we got down, and we were almost there, I was like, we made it," she told WTAE. "I was so happy. I started breathing hard because I didn't realize I was on the ground. I drank some water and felt so good. It was amazing."

The company did not say what caused the malfunction.