Riders on Hersheypark’s Comet roller coaster were safely evacuated after the ride made a temporary stoppage on Sept. 7, the park said, marking the latest safety scare at the Pennsylvania theme park following several high-profile incidents this summer.
Park representatives told local station CBS21 that the Comet stopped after what they described as an "unrelated off-ride guest issue." "Per our protocols, our teams safely escorted guests off the coaster and back into the station without issue, and the ride was reopened," the park said. It was not immediately clear what specifically caused the coaster to stop.
Video posted online by parkgoers shows Hersheypark employees climbing onto the train to help passengers out of the cars and guiding them down the ride’s emergency evacuation stairway while other visitors watched from nearby. The Comet, which the park’s website says reaches speeds of about 50 miles per hour and climbs to roughly 96 feet at its highest point, was built in 1946 and is the park’s oldest operating coaster. A full ride is advertised as lasting about one minute and 45 seconds.
The Sept. 7 stoppage comes amid heightened scrutiny of park safety after a series of incidents this summer. In August, a young boy who had entered a secured area was found balancing on monorail tracks and was rescued before he fell, according to earlier reporting. In July, a nine-year-old girl drowned at the park’s wave pool; witnesses said she appeared to be in distress before being pulled from the water and a lifeguard performed CPR, but the child later died.
Parkgoers shared differing reactions online. Some said they had noticed more frequent breakdowns this season, while others defended the park and described the Comet as reliable despite occasional stoppages. Local news outlets reported that the park followed established evacuation procedures for the Sept. 7 incident.
Hersheypark did not provide additional technical details about the cause of the stoppage, and there was no immediate report of injuries from the evacuation. The park said the ride was reopened after the guests were escorted back to the station.
The Comet incident and the earlier monorail and wave-pool events prompted questions about park operations and safety oversight from visitors and the community. State and local officials can investigate amusement park incidents depending on the circumstances, and industry safety standards require operators to carry out regular maintenance, staff training and emergency drills. Hersheypark has previously said it follows inspection and safety protocols required for amusement parks.
The park’s Sept. 7 statement to CBS21 and footage shared by visitors provide the primary public record of the evacuation. Park officials did not immediately release a detailed timeline of the stoppage, citing that it was triggered by an off-ride issue; the park said its teams responded according to protocol and reopened the attraction after the situation was resolved.