On a Monday afternoon at Six Flags Over Georgia in the U.S. state of Georgia, a devastating amusement park incident has left one man dead and rattled park guests, investigators, and communities across the country. The victim has been identified as 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, a beloved Atlanta-area educator, father, and cancer survivor who died after being ejected from a rollercoaster mid-ride.
Local law enforcement confirmed the unfolding of the tragedy, which took place shortly before 4 p.m. local time (20:00 GMT). Preliminary interviews with witnesses and park personnel indicate that after being thrown from the ride vehicle, Kariem struck other seated patrons before falling to the ground beneath the attraction. Responding officers found Kariem deceased on arrival. While park and law enforcement officials have not publicly named the rollercoaster involved, multiple witnesses and aerial news footage confirm the ride in question is Goliath, a high-thrill coaster that opened at the park in 2006. According to the park’s official specifications, Goliath stands 200 feet (60 meters) tall, features a 170-foot first drop, a 540-degree spiral, and reaches top speeds of 70 miles per hour (112 km/h), ranking a four out of five on the park’s internal thrill scale.
Multiple witnesses who were at the park that afternoon have shared harrowing firsthand accounts of the incident. Nick Mendenhall, who watched the incident unfold, described the moment as “super bizarre, traumatic,” saying he needed several seconds to process what he had just seen. Connor Thompson, who was waiting in line to ride Goliath when the incident occurred, recalled bystanders yelling frantically for emergency services, saying he initially struggled to believe what was happening because he assumed such a fatal accident was impossible. When the ride returned to the station, Thompson said he could see that the safety restraint on Kariem’s seat was unlatched. Another waiting guest, CiCi Nelson, told reporters she saw an empty seat with a loose safety bar and a female guest covered in blood when the train pulled back into the station, describing widespread hysteria across the queue. Brittany Landry, who had ridden Goliath just minutes before the incident, told reporters she was left in tears over the tragedy. One witness has also claimed the entire incident was captured by the ride’s automated on-ride souvenir photo system, though this claim has not been independently verified.
Beyond the immediate tragedy, new details have emerged that paint a picture of Kariem’s life and legacy. A resident of nearby Atlanta, Kariem had worked for over 12 years at Wesley International Academy, a local public charter school, serving as an IT manager, technology teacher, and robotics coach. In a public statement posted to the school’s Facebook page, administrators called Kariem deeply loved and respected, noting his unwavering dedication to students and the school community would leave a lasting gap. Outside of his work, Kariem was a two-time cancer survivor who beat the disease most recently in 2018; just three weeks before his death, he survived a car crash with his 10-year-old daughter. He was also an avid creator who enjoyed 3D printing and laser engraving, as well as cooking, anime, and spending time with loved ones.
In the wake of the fatal incident, Six Flags, North America’s largest amusement park operator, has implemented sweeping precautionary measures, temporarily closing nine rides across its locations in the United States and Canada while the investigation proceeds. Multiple agencies are currently probing the incident: the Cobb County Police Department leads the official criminal investigation, while Georgia’s Office of Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner, which oversees amusement park safety regulation in the state, is conducting a separate compliance review. As of yet, few confirmed details about the root cause of the ejection have been released to the public, and no official news conference has been held by investigating agencies.
In a public statement released shortly after the incident, a Six Flags spokesperson said the company was “deeply saddened by the guest incident” and extended “thoughts and heartfelt condolences” to Kariem’s family, friends, and loved ones.
This latest death marks at least the seventh fatal incident recorded at Six Flags Over Georgia since the park opened, according to the Doan Law Firm, a personal injury firm that tracks amusement park accidents and represents incident victims. Previous fatalities at the park include two deaths from on-site medical emergencies, two deaths of guests in restricted areas who were struck by ride vehicles, two car-related fatalities on park property, and one death of a guest months after an incident at the park’s pool.
Fatal ejection incidents from Six Flags rollercoasters are not unprecedented. Court records show that over the past 15 years, two separate fatal fall incidents at Six Flags properties resulted in lawsuits and eventual settlements. The first, in 2011, involved an Iraq War veteran who was ejected from a ride in New York and struck his head on a ride vehicle. The second, in 2013, saw a woman slip past her restraints on a Texas rollercoaster and fall 75 feet to her death. Most recently, in September 2024, Six Flags Magic Mountain in California permanently closed its X2 rollercoaster after more than 100 guests filed claims alleging they suffered traumatic brain injuries from riding the attraction.