Credit: Cedar Point A father has been accused of child endangerment after a trip to Cedar Point.
Sat along the shores of Lake Erie in Sandusky, Ohio, Cedar Point is a historic amusement park with roots dating all the way back to 1870. Originally a simple bathing beach, the park evolved into a thrill destination, now renowned as “America’s Roller Coast.”
Today, Cedar Point boasts an unparalleled collection of 17 roller coasters (the third-most in the world after Six Flags Magic Mountain and Canada’s Wonderland), attracting thrill-seekers from across the globe. Its impressive lineup includes Millennium Force, a groundbreaking giga coaster that was the first coaster to surpass the 300-foot mark when it opened in 2000.
Other standouts include Steel Vengeance, a wood-steel hybrid coaster that opened in 2018 on the bones of the park’s former wooden coaster, Mean Streak.
Most famously (or, depending on who you’re talking to, infamously), it also boasts Top Thrill 2, which opened earlier this year to replace Top Thrill Dragster, which closed after a guest was hit by a dislodged metal plate when standing in line for Top Thrill Dragster, resulting in a fractured skull and traumatic permanent brain damage.
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While its replacement is even more thrilling than its predecessor – adding a second 420-foot spike tower and two additional launch cycles – few have had a chance to experience the roller coaster, which shuttered for an “extended closure” just 10 days after its official opening in May. Unsurprisingly, this has raised new concerns about the ride’s future.
In the meantime, there have been plenty of other developments that have sparked concern for Cedar Point guests. On July 1, 2024, the Cedar Fair Group merged with Six Flags, forming the park’s current operator, the Six Flags Entertainment Corporation – a move that some have feared will strip away some of the park’s more beloved aspects.
The park has also found itself making alarming headlines in recent months for everything from rogue camels (yes, really) and runaway goats (just days after said camels went on the run) to a superstorm-induced closure.
Now, another concerning incident has pushed the newly Six Flags branded theme park into the news.
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As per USA Today, a 36-year-old Kansas resident was charged with child endangerment after visiting Cedar Point with his four children earlier this month and deciding to leave the youngest three (who are aged two, four, and eight) alone so he could ride roller coasters with the eldest.
According to an incident report viewed by USA TODAY, another guest spotted one of the young children “playing in the dirt” near the Magum XL-200 coaster. After walking with the child toward Corkscrew, another of the park’s steel roller coasters, she found another sibling alone in a wagon. She then waited with the children for 20 minutes until the father returned.
After police were summoned, the man confirmed that he had left the children alone several times that day.
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“I asked [the man] how many rides he rode and left the children unattended,” an officer wrote in a report. “[He] stated three but one of the rides he rode twice. Due to the statements that [he made], it was determined that [the children] had been left unattended multiple different times throughout the day.”