Credit: AdventurelandA popular theme park has issued an update after a Florida man was stabbed during his visit.
Considering how scary some people find roller coasters, it’s ironic that often, the most dangerous thing in a theme park is the guests themselves. Over the years, several of the most alarming headlines to emerge from Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, and beyond have stemmed from parkgoers behaving badly.
For example, a guest was recently removed from Grizzly River Run at Disney California Adventure after acting inappropriately and making loud innuendos in line for the attraction. In an even more extreme incident, a man was arrested at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn Resort after a physical altercation broke out due to his mocking a guest with Down Syndrome.
Beyond Disney, a guest drew blood at CaroWinds in May after a confrontation over a ride’s height restrictions, while another arrest occurred at Cedar Point in June following an assault on a female guest. That same month, SeaWorld’s Florida water park, Aquatica, went into total lockdown after a mass brawl broke out in the middle of the month.
If you thought that was alarming, an even more terrifying tale has emerged from a park in New York this week. As per ABC7NY, a fight broke out at Adventureland – an amusement park on Long Island – on Sunday, leaving one male guest from Florida in a serious condition.
One guest, named by police as 42-year-old Daniel Tomasky, allegedly stabbed a companion in the stomach following what seems to have been a heated confrontation between two families.
The victim – 47-year-old James Burns, who hails from Florida – was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
An update from police confirmed that Tomasky was released on a $50,000 cash bail and ordered to stay away from the victim and the victim’s two children. He’s pleaded not guilty to the charges of criminal possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child, with his attorney adding that “his wife was actually at Adventureland and was attacked and got knocked out and needed an ambulance too.”
A spokesperson for Adventureland confirmed that the incident occurred shortly before 5 p.m. on July 7. It continues to operate as usual.
First opened in 1962 and located 30 minutes east of New York City, Adventureland has been dubbed a Long Island “institution.” The park features over 30 fun rides and attractions, including the spinning coaster Turbulence Coaster and Fireball, a unique roller ball-style coaster.
Since the stabbing occurred, critics have called Adventureland’s security protocols into question. An Adventureland spokesperson told News 12 that while bags are searched at the entrance of the park, there are no metal detectors. The park also noted that it is currently reviewing its policies and protocols.
The park previously made headlines in the early 2000s when two fatal incidents occurred within a week of each other.
The first occurred when an 18-year-old ride operator was struck by a car on the Lady Bug roller coaster and died the next day, while the second involved a 45-year-old woman who was thrown from a spinning ride known as the Top Scan (now permanently closed) and crashed into a parked car in the parking lot.
Have you ever witnessed a scary incident at a theme park?