Witnesses are speaking out after a rider fell to his death from a 200-foot roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.
The man died on Monday, Oct. 12, at the Six Flags park in Austell, Georgia, about 11 miles west of downtown Atlanta. He was riding the Goliath, a 70 mph hypercoaster, just before 4 p.m. local time, the Cobb County Police Department previously told USA TODAY. The incident also left several other people injured.
Six Flags said in a statement to USA TODAY on Oct. 12 that it was "deeply saddened by the guest incident at our park today.”
"Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we will not be sharing additional details at this time," the park said.
USA TODAY contacted Cobb County police and Six Flags on Oct. 13 for more information but
did not immediately receive a response.
Here’s what to know about the man who died and what witnesses saw.
Identify of man who died on ride released
On Oct. 13, news station 11Alive says that, according to police, the man has been identified as 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem of Atlanta. The outlet also spoke to the man's family, who said Kariem worked at Wesley International Academy in the Atlanta Public Schools district.
The district said in a statement to the outlet that it extended its condolences to his family.
"... He was a cherished member of the Wesley International Academy and APS families whose presence and impact will be deeply missed by our students, staff, and all those whose lives he touched. Our thoughts are with everyone mourning his loss during this difficult time," the district said in a statement to the outlet.
‘You don't expect not to come home'
Citing witness accounts, local television station FOX 5 Atlanta reported that the man was thrown from the ride into the woods, after which the ride came to an abrupt stop on the track.
Other park visitors told television station WXIA-TV that the man fell and hit the ride three different times, as well as other people, before he fell onto the roof of a haunted house attraction below.
Brittany Landry of Winder, Georgia, was in line waiting to get on the ride when it happened, she told FOX 5 Atlanta. She was standing in the back row when she looked up.
"I just see somebody fly out and just fly into the woods,” she told the news station, noting that the woods were blocked off.
She was in disbelief.
"Maybe somebody had a bag or something,” she recalled thinking.
But what she saw was a person flying off the ride, about 150 feet away from her, she later found out.
While speaking to the outlet, she broke down in tears.
“We were just on there,” she said as tears rolled down her face. "You go to ride (a) roller coaster to get the adrenaline rush, but you always expect to get back. You don't expect to not come home."
‘I’m getting out of this line’
Deysi Gonzalez was visiting the park that day and was in line to ride a nearby coaster, the Georgia Scorcher, when the man was ejected from the ride. She didn’t see the man fly out but was alerted to the situation when someone nearby noticed it.
“‘I'm getting out of this line,” she heard the person next to her say. “‘Somebody just fell off of the Goliath.’”
Gonzalez saw everyone running toward the wooded area where the man fell.
Another rider told FOX 5 Atlanta he was stuck on the ride and assumed it was a malfunction. He recalled people running once the ride stopped abruptly. He saw a helicopter in the area as well.
Investigation underway
Chairwoman of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners Lisa N. Cupid issued a statement the day Kariem died and called his death “a terrible tragedy.”
“Cobb County Police officers responded immediately, and detectives with the Major Crimes Unit are investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident,” Cupid said. “The County is working closely with Six Flags Over Georgia and other appropriate partners as the investigation proceeds.”
Cupid said she feels for the family of the man who died, as well as the park visitors and workers who saw what happened to him.
“We are all grappling with how something so devastating could happen at a place that has given generations of families such happy memories,” Cupid said.
Contributing: James Powel and Michael Loria, USA TODAY
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s trending team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A man died on a Six Flags ride. Witnesses recount terrifying ordeal
