Six Flags Great Adventure shutters Nitro ‘hypercoaster’ after teacher’s fatal plunge from similar ride

Six Flags Great Adventure has temporarily shut down its Nitro rollercoaster after a teacher fell to his death from a similar ride in Georgia on Monday.

The theme park in Jackson Township, NJ, shut down Nitro out of “an abundance of caution,” Six Flags said, as investigators probe the tragic mishap in which beloved teacher Hassan Kariem, 42, slipped from his safety restraint on the Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia — slamming into fellow riders before dropping to his death.

Great Adventure’s “hypercoaster” — which boasts a glimpse of Philadelphia from its 215-foot drop — is one of nine coasters at parks across North America that have shuttered since Kariem’s death.

APP features reporter Alex Biese participates in the Six Flags Polar Coaster Challenge on the Nitro roller coaster in a tank top and shorts at Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J., Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The Six Flags Polar Coaster Challenge at Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J., Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“Out of an abundance of caution, we have temporarily closed similar attractions across our parks,” Six Flags said in a statement. “The safety of our guests and team members remains one of our highest priorities.”

Graphic showing where Hassan Kariem fell from the Goliath coaster in Georgia. NY Post Design
Hassan Kariem, 42, who died at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday, Oct. 11, 2026. Facebook/Hassan Kariem

The amusement park company said investigators are hard at work finding out what went wrong in Georgia.

The tragedy and ensuing closures came in the middle of the theme park’s annual autumn rush.

The “Fright Fest” event at Six Flags Great Adventure runs through Halloween — but it’s unclear if Nitro will be back up and running before the annual festivity ends.

Nitro was designed by the same company as Goliath: Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, which built eight of the nine temporarily closed coasters.

Some of those rides have safety belts as a backup to the lap restraints that secure riders to their seats.

Riders are escorted off Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday, Oct. 11, 2026. 11Alive

But Goliath doesn’t have those safety belts — and neither does Nitro, according to travel blogger Nathan Kerney.

It remains unclear if the lack of seatbelts had anything to do with the deadly mishap. Six Flags has not replied to The Post’s request for comment on the matter.

The ride closures come just weeks after Magic Mountain in California permanently retired its X2 roller coaster in late September following claims from more than 100 riders that the attraction caused horrible head injuries.

In September, a 25-year-old woman was on a ventilator two months after she allegedly suffered a catastrophic brain injury.

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