Dramatic moment four teen girls are rescued from California amusement park ride after malfunction

Four young girls were rescued from a roller coaster at a California theme park after the ride malfunctioned, trapping them 20 feet in the air.

The girls, who have not been identified but are all teenagers, were unharmed after being rescued by the Sacramento Metro Fire Department on Monday.

The incident occurred around 6:46 p.m. at the Scandia Fun Center in North Highlands, about 10 miles outside of Sacramento.

The girls were riding a yellow roller coaster in the park when it stopped suddenly and after technicians failed to free the car electronically and manually.

General Manager Brian Nichols had spent much of the afternoon inspecting the coaster after noticing that it was running a bit slow due to the cold weather.

A roller coaster at a California theme park stopped while in operation, trapping four young girls 20 feet in the air

The girls, who have not been identified but are all teenagers, were unharmed after being rescued by the Sacramento Metro Fire Department on Monday.

The incident occurred around 6:46 p.m. at the Scandia Fun Center in North Highlands, about 10 miles outside of Sacramento

The girls were riding a yellow roller coaster in the park when it stopped suddenly and after technicians failed to free the car electronically and manually

General Manager Brian Nichols had spent much of the afternoon inspecting the coaster after noticing that it was running a bit slow due to the cool weather

Nichols, who said he’s “the one who put it together, so I know it best,” commented that when the coaster reached part of the track with a brake designed to slow it down, this ride slowed down too much , bringing the girls to a complete halt.

The ride was last inspected by the state in April, discovered with no major issues, according to KCRA.

Each of the amusement center rides must undergo a pre-announced inspection once a year during business hours.

The amusement park was open again on Tuesday, but the roller coaster was temporarily shut down.

Nichols said, “This particular incident doesn’t happen often. I think the last time it happened was about four years ago, and we were able to fix it in about half an hour. One of us was on site. I just happened to not be there last night.’

Fortunately, the teens had a cell phone and called 911, with authorities arriving before Nichols.

The girls received free treats, ride tickets, and tickets to return to the park at a later date.

Nichols, who said he’s “the one who put it together, so I know it best,” commented that when the coaster reached part of the track with a brake designed to slow it down, this ride slowed down too much , bringing the girls to a complete halt

The ride was last inspected by the state in April, discovered with no major issues

Each of the amusement center rides must undergo a pre-announced inspection once a year during business hours

The amusement park was open again on Tuesday, but the roller coaster was temporarily shut down

Nichols said, “This particular incident doesn’t happen often. I think the last time it happened was about four years ago, and we were able to fix it in about half an hour. One of us was on site. Coincidentally I wasn’t there last night’

Nichols spent Tuesday on the roller coaster’s tracks performing maintenance and getting a better sense of what happened.

He also realigned the cars, which he says is necessary and, if not done, could lead to a stoppage.

Nichols was confident there was no security risk between his own inspections and those of the state.