Students Trapped for Hours on 100-Foot Roller Coaster After Terrifying Malfunction

Eight students on a school field trip were left trapped high above a Texas amusement pier Thursday after a roller coaster suddenly malfunctioned and froze near the top of its climb.

The terrifying scene unfolded at Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, where the Iron Shark roller coaster came to a stop with riders stranded roughly 100 feet in the air.

Fire crews were called to the pier around 5:37 p.m. after the ride stopped during its initial ascent. The students were left suspended near the coaster’s steep climb, with some reports describing them as being stuck at a frightening angle several stories above the ground.

The students were from Houston ISD’s Energized for STEM Academy Middle and High Schools and were visiting the pier on a school field trip.

The rescue was anything but simple.

Firefighters used a ladder truck and safety harnesses to reach the stranded students one by one. Each rider had to be secured before being lowered into a basket attached to the top of the ladder.

The final student was brought down safely hours later, with some reports saying the rescue wrapped up around 8:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

No serious injuries were reported, but the students were checked for dehydration and other medical concerns after being stuck in the air under the Texas heat.

One student, Cayce Escobar, told ABC 13 he was next in line when the ride suddenly made a loud noise before stopping.

“So once it stops, it pushes you all the way up, but this time it made like a very big bang,” Escobar said. “Like it went, ‘Boom.’”

He said the ride operator tried pressing buttons to bring the coaster down, but it did not work. People waiting in line were then told to leave the area.

The amusement park was closed during the rescue operation as emergency crews worked to get the students down safely.

Houston ISD later confirmed all students, staff and chaperones were safe.

“We are grateful that all students, staff, and chaperones are safe,” the district said in a statement.

Pleasure Pier officials said the ride stopped as designed when a problem was detected, and a full inspection would be conducted before the Iron Shark reopened.

The Iron Shark is one of the pier’s biggest thrill rides. According to Pleasure Pier, the coaster features a 100-foot vertical lift, a beyond-vertical drop, speeds up to 52 mph and multiple inversions over a 1,246-foot track.

The cause of the malfunction remains under investigation.