The world’s tallest roller coaster has met its dramatic end in a controlled implosion after nearly 20 years of operation, marking the conclusion of a resilient ride that stood tall despite its troubled history of mechanical issues and occasional lawsuits.
Kingda Ka, the world-famous roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, has officially died early Friday morning after a controlled implosion turned the tallest and second-fastest coaster on Earth into a fragmented pile of steel.
Brian Bacica, the park president, referred to the demise of the self-proclaimed ‘King of Coasters’ as a ‘change important to our growth and dedication to delivering exceptional new experiences,’ People reported.
The beloved steel-structure succumbed to several explosions and crumbled into a pile of memories surrounded by a cloud of smoke, marking the end of an era for thrill-seekers across the globe.
‘It’s one of the first things you see when you drive in. Before you even get to the park you can see it,’ Matt Kaiser, the American Coaster Enthusiasts regional representative told Phillyburbs.com.
‘It brings in people from all over the world. It’s iconic.’
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office shared a warning on Thursday, informing residents in the Jackson Township community that they may hear ‘a series of rapid explosions.’
‘The noises may be startling, but please don’t be alarmed,’ the warning read. ‘Keep pets indoors if they are sensitive to loud sounds. If you or someone you know is affected by loud noises, take necessary precautions.’
Just before 7am Friday morning, an ear-piercing horn blared out loud enough to be heard from the theme park’s parking lot to drivers along Route 537.
Park-goers and locals looked upwards towards the towering green arch of the coaster as it appeared to stand with the clouds, reflecting sunlight from above.
In a matter of a second, a thunderous-sounding boom claimed the life of Kingda Ka just two months shy of its 20th birthday.
Shocking aerial footage captured the moment multiple explosions at the base of the coaster triggered its backwards collapse, sending it crashing to the ground in a cloud of dust as it shattered into thousands of green-steel pieces.
‘It’s hard to overstate how much this ride meant to me as a kid growing up in New Jersey. I was 11 years old when Kingda Ka first opened, and 30 when I rode it one last time on its final day,’ John Wiley, a Glen Ridge resident, told Phillyburbs.com.
‘It represented a level of ambition in engineering and scale that few parks in this part of the world can stomach anymore,’ he added.
‘I hope that whatever replaces it lives up to that legacy.’
Kingda Ka was born back in 2005 during the midst of a decades-long battle between theme parks across the country, as each park attempted to break records with the development of the ‘next best thing’ in thrill rides.
‘That was the age of giant rides. They were trying to go bigger, better and faster,’ Dave Hahner, a historian with American Coaster Enthusiasts, told the outlet.
‘There were no limits to the records they would try to break, and Kingda Ka was the pinnacle of that.’
The very last piece of track was finalized in January of 2005. From that point on, adrenaline-junkies were strapped into a bright-orange shoulder harness as they anxiously awaited the 30 seconds of complete thrill.
As the coaster sat on its neon-green track awaiting take-off, riders were reminded to keep their ‘arms down, head back’ and of course, ‘hold on.’
In what felt like an eternity – but was really only 10 seconds – the coaster would slowly reverse a few feet before an electrical-sounding hiss would notify riders that the launch system was ready to go.
A second later, riders were catapulted up to speeds of 128mph before reaching the thrilling 456-foot tall drop. If you were brave enough to open your eyes, you were able to take in the acres of suburban New Jersey that surround the park.
‘The launch felt like it was forever,’ Christine Shenkman, a Brick resident, told Phillyburbs.com.
‘But when the train hit full speed and headed up, my mind wondered, “where is the top of this thing? Are we going to space?”‘
Riders were hit with a smaller, 129-foot hill upon their descent back to Earth. Then, the telltale hiss sound would erupt, letting the thrill-seekers know that the ride had come to an end.
‘And just like that, we were back at the station and unloading – but forever changed,’ Shenkman added.
Kingda Ka proved to be its own separate beast, attracting millions of ride-lovers from all over the world to travel to the northeastern state to get a 30-second taste of pure adrenaline.
‘Overnight, Great Adventure became a worldwide destination. New Jersey was at the center of the amusement park of the world,’ Wiley said.
‘Most coaster fans would agree it was a flawed ride and, clearly, the economics weren’t working,’ he added. ‘But it’s launch was unlike anything else.’
Despite its resilience, the iconic coaster faced nearly 20-years of troubles – mechanical issues that would close the attraction for months at a time, several lawsuits and even being hit by a lightning strike.
After Six Flags and Cedar Fair merged last year, executives determined that Kingda Ka was the most problematic ride in the park – noting how its launch system became unreliable and therefore, made the ride too expensive to maintain.
‘They wanted to push the envelope. They wanted a record-breaker at Great Adventure,’ Hahner told the outlet.
‘But there are a lot of technical problems, a lot of repairs and, of course, they have to make it safe,’ he added. ‘And unfortunately, there were a couple of incidents involving these types of rides.’
In 2019, Dr. Christopher Fabricant, a physician of Red Bank, filed a lawsuit claiming the coaster risked ‘whiplash type injuries,’ after his experience led to spinal injuries, Phillyburbs.com reported.
Fabricant claimed that during a ride on Kingda Ka, he suffered ‘severe and permanent damage to his neck and spine.’
The lawsuit also claimed that employees never warned the doctor, who is six-foot-two, that a person his size ‘was not a candidate for safely riding.’ The document also alleged that the safety harness can cause ‘crushing injuries.’
More recently, a Cedar Point theme park guest in Ohio filed a lawsuit after a metal bracket that fell off a similarly designed ride to Kingda Ka struck her in the head, leading to traumatic brain injury.
The case was settled last year, according to Cleveland.com. The woman required $10 million in lifelong care.
Kingda Ka’s demolition was announced last November as part of the corporation’s $1 billion investment into its theme parks, People reported.
‘We understand that saying goodbye to beloved rides can be difficult and we appreciate our guests’ passion,’ the president said at the time of the announcement.
Although the name of the ride replacing the world’s tallest roller coaster in 2026 has yet to be announced, it is said to be just as thrilling.
According to Bacica, an ‘all-new, multi-record-breaking launch coaster’ that will be a ‘must-ride attraction sure to capture fans’ imaginations’ will eventually take Kingda Ka’s place.
