In the Six Flags Great Adventure Park located in New Jersey, ticket holders can experience a ride dubbed the “most dangerous” roller coaster by theme park enthusiasts.
Kingda Ka is the tallest and fastest roller coaster in North America, composed of a giant upside-down U-shaped track which stands at 456 feet tall.
The hydraulically-launched ride, which opened in 2005, can reach top speeds of 128 mph in just three and a half seconds, sending passengers zooming 45 stories into the sky.
Park operator Six Flags warns adrenaline junkies they “won’t even have time to think” as the carts shoot up the track, promising to deliver a “maximum” thrill level.
As the ride launches out of the passenger loading station, the train climbs a 90-degree angle straight upwards before plummeting back towards the ground and entering a 270-degree spiral turn.
The track extends for nearly a kilometre but, given the serious speed of the ride, the whole experience lasts just 50 seconds.
In a video to 2.7 million followers, TikTok account @themepark_explorers described the ride as “absolutely insane”.
YouTuber and roller coaster enthusiast Riley who runs the account @That’sSoMid tested the ride as part of a US road trip.
He said: “Kingda Ka is insane! The launch and the speed on this thing is out of this world.”
Despite the extensive safety measures in place, the ride has been the subject of several incidents over the years.
In 2005, a bolt failed causing the liner to come loose and creating friction against the ride’s launch cables, which in turn prevented the train from accelerating enough to climb the peak. The ride was closed for two months while repairs were undertaken and a test run of new parts was completed.
In a bizarre 2009 incident, Kingda Ka was struck by lightning, which caused serious damage and forced the closure of the ride for three months over the summer season.
Extreme weather appeared to strike again in 2011 when Kingda Ka was damaged just before Hurricane Irene made landfall. The ride was subsequently closed until the start of the 2012 season.
During this season, a young boy was transferred to hospital after being struck by a bird while riding Kingda Ka.
The ride was reportedly shut down for 30 minutes after that incident, according to NBC New York.
