A 120-foot-tall rollercoaster at Disney California Adventure Park malfunctioned on Sunday, July 1, stranding 20 people at the top of the ride for over an hour in the sweltering heat. The incident occurred around 1:30 pm, according to NBC Los Angeles.
Park employees eventually managed to safely bring down the riders from the Incredicoaster, located in Pixar Pier, as reported by the independent news agency OC Hawk. Before their rescue, the stranded riders were given umbrellas to shield them from the harsh sun. The temperature in Anaheim soared to 80 degrees on Sunday amid the grueling summer heat.
Though the cause of the ride malfunction is unclear, this incident was the second consecutive day the rollercoaster broke down with passengers on board. A Disneyland guest who witnessed the event told KNBC-TV, “I thought maybe the ride was closed. I was really concerned for the heat and obviously for the people… it was not moving and was on top of the apex.”
However, park officials disputed the NBC Los Angeles report, stating that guests were only stuck on the rollercoaster for 30 minutes, according to USA Today. A park spokesperson provided no details about the malfunction but mentioned that the issue was resolved quickly.
The spokesperson also informed the outlet that “many attractions have evacuations as part of the standard response to a downtime and that guests are sometimes escorted off the attraction if it requires a reset.” The Incredicoaster is a unique attraction in the California theme park, inspired by Disney’s popular animated franchise, The Incredibles.