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‘Jurassic Park’ Ride Closes, Guests Stuck for Nearly an Hour After Incident

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Posted on by Chloe James 1 Comment
Guests come down from a loop on The Flying Dinosaur roller coaster at Universal Studios Japan

Credit: Universal Studios Japan

Guests were stuck for nearly an hour after an incident on a Universal Studios Japan roller coaster this week.

Like all of Universal’s theme parks, Universal Studios Japan offers some major thrills. One of its most popular rides, The Flying Dinosaur, is inspired by the world of Jurassic Park (1994) and sees guests soar through the air as if riding on the back of a pterodactyl.

Guests ride Flying Dinosaur
Credit: Universal Studios Japan

However, the ride got a little bit too thrilling yesterday (December 14) when the Universal roller coaster ground to a halt 40 meters in the high. This left guests facing the ground for nearly an hour.

X (formerly known as Twitter) user @macaron_nora shared a video of the incident showing riders stuck in the air. Universal Studios Japan team members reportedly roped off the area to prevent potential injuries from falling objects.

A restriction line was posted and I couldn’t pass through.
Well, be careful of falling objects (?)…
I pray that it doesn’t fall

A lot of helicopters come and it’s a strange park…
Let’s go home now

According to NHK World-Japan, The Flying Dinosaur was at full capacity with 32 people seated in the ride vehicle at the time of the incident. The ride reportedly ground to a halt after the safety system engaged – which typically happens after detecting an “abnormality” – at around 11 a.m. on Thursday.

While early reports suggested that riders were stuck upside down, a representative for Universal later confirmed to Inside the Magic that this was not the case.

Crowds at the entrance of Universal Studios Japan
Credit: Dick Thomas Johnson via Flickr

“The ride came to a full and safe stop, which it is designed to do in certain conditions,” the representative said. “Riders were not hanging upside down, and all guests were safely evacuated within 45 minutes. There were no injuries and the ride safely resumed operations that afternoon. Safety is our top priority and we continue to focus on making sure guests have a safe experience.”

Guests come down from a loop on The Flying Dinosaur roller coaster at Universal Studios Japan
Credit: Universal Studios Japan

This isn’t the first time Universal Studios Japan has faced issues with the roller coaster. In 2018, The Flying Dinosaur stalled and left guests stranded in mid-air for two hours.

The Flying Dinosaur is one of two Jurassic Park rides at the Universal Studios theme park, which is Universal’s most-visited location outside of the U.S. Jurassic Park: The Ride – which is a near-replica of the attraction found at Universal Orlando Resort’s Islands of Adventure – recently closed for an extensive two-year refurbishment. While there were initial rumors that this would see it transformed into Jurassic World: The Ride like Universal Studios Hollywood, it’s since been reported that the ride will remain the same.

Have you ever been on a roller coaster when it broke down? Share your story with Inside the Magic in the comments!

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