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12 Roller Coasters Closed After Deadly Goliath Six Flags Incident

Stateline MEDIA Newsroom•October 16, 2026•3 min read

The fatal incident on the Goliath ride at Six Flags Over Georgia, which killed Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem (42) on Monday (10/12/2026), triggered the closure of 12 roller coasters across North America. Amusement park operators shut down rides made by the same manufacturer as a precautionary measure while the police investigation is still ongoing.

Key Facts

Monday, October 12, 2026: Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem (42) was killed after being thrown from the Goliath ride at Six Flags Over Georgia, near Atlanta; several other visitors were injured.
Cobb County Police: Kariem was thrown from the ride, struck another passenger, then fell to the ground below the ride; the Major Crimes Unit is investigating the cause.
Six Flags closed 9 similar rides at 6 parks in the US and Canada “out of an abundance of caution,” including Raging Bull, Goliath (Magic Mountain), Nitro, Leviathan, Behemoth, Fury 325, Thunder Striker, Orion, and Diamondback.
SeaWorld Orlando (the Mako ride) and Canada's La Ronde (the Goliath ride) also closed their rides — a total of 12 roller coasters temporarily out of service.
Goliath: opened in 2006, built by Bolliger & Mabillard (Switzerland), height 200 feet (61 meters), speed 70 mph (113 km/h).
The Six Flags Over Georgia park reopened normally on Friday (10/16/2026), but the Goliath ride remained closed with no schedule for reopening.

Thrown from Goliath, Passenger Killed

Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, a 42-year-old man from Atlanta, died after being thrown from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday (12/10/2026). The incident occurred at around 16:00 local time at the park located about 16 kilometers west of downtown Atlanta.

Cobb County Police stated that, based on initial accounts from witnesses and park employees, Kariem was thrown from the ride car, struck several other passengers, and then fell to the bottom of the ride. Several other visitors were reported injured. The local police Major Crimes Unit is now investigating the exact cause of the incident.

12 Rides Closed in North America

Following the incident, Six Flags announced the temporary closure of nine similar roller coasters at six of its parks in the United States and Canada. The company said the move was taken as a precaution. The closed rides include Raging Bull (Illinois), Goliath (California), Nitro (New Jersey), Leviathan and Behemoth (Ontario, Canada), Fury 325 and Thunder Striker (North Carolina), and Orion and Diamondback (Ohio).

The wave of closures spread to other operators. SeaWorld Orlando in Florida temporarily closed its Mako ride, while La Ronde park in Montreal, Canada, shut down its Goliath ride as a precautionary measure. A total of 12 roller coasters are now temporarily out of service pending the results of a safety review.

Swiss-made ride

Nearly all of the closed rides were made by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), a Swiss roller coaster manufacturing company — the same as Goliath in Georgia, which opened in 2006. The hypercoaster ride stands 200 feet (about 61 meters) tall and reaches a top speed of 70 mph (about 113 km/h).

B&M stated it is reviewing the incident and will not comment further until it understands what actually happened. Six Flags said it is fully cooperating with law enforcement and extended its condolences to the victim's family.

Park Reopens, Goliath Remains Closed

Six Flags Over Georgia returned to normal operations on Friday (10/16/2026) according to its weekend schedule. However, the Goliath ride where the incident occurred remains closed and there is no schedule yet for when it will reopen.

Six Flags Over Georgia President Richard Pretlow said the company is deeply saddened by the incident and is providing support to the guests and employees affected. Police are urging anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward to assist the investigation.