14-year-old boy killed in fall from drop tower ride at Florida’s ICON Park, authorities say

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A 14-year-old boy fell to his death late at night from a free-fall amusement park ride that is taller than the Statue of Liberty along a busy street in the heart of Orlando’s tourist district.

Sheriff’s officials and emergency crews responded to a call late Thursday at Icon Park, which is located in the city’s tourist district along International Drive. The boy fell from the Orlando Free Fall ride, which opened late last year.

He was taken to a hospital, where he died, sheriff’s officials said. No additional details about the teen or the incident were immediately released.

A video aired by NBC’s “Today” show Friday morning appears to show passengers on the ride discussing issues with a seat restraint Thursday night. The ride then began its trek up the tower before someone is later seen falling from the ride.

“We are absolutely saddened and devastated by what happened, and our hearts go out this young man’s family,” John Stine, sales director with the Slingshot Group which owns the ride, told The Associated Press on Friday morning.

The Free Fall ride and an adjacent ride, the Sling Shot, have been closed indefinitely, Stine said. His company operates the two rides at Icon Park.

“We are cooperating with all other investigations at this time to get to the bottom of what happened,” Stine said.

Stine said there had been no issues reported previously with the Free Fall ride, which opened over the holidays.

The Florida Department of Agriculture, which oversees amusement ride inspections with the exception of the state’s largest theme parks, has launched an investigation and inspectors were at the site Friday, spokesperson Caroline Stoneciper said in an email.

The ride stands 430-feet (131-meters) tall, and is billed as the world’s tallest free-standing drop tower, according to the park’s website.

The ride holds 30 passengers as it rises in the air, rotates around the tower and then tilts to face the ground before free falling at more than 75 mph (120 kph), the website said.

The ride has an over-the shoulder restraint harness, with two hand grips at the chest level, that goes over the rider automatically.

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An earlier version of this story from the Orlando Sentinel

A 14-year-old boy died late Thursday after falling from the Orlando Free Fall ride at Icon Park, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies responded at 11:12 p.m. to 8433 International Drive.

The boy was taken to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children where he was pronounced dead, OCSO said.

Deputies have released no other information but an investigation is underway, said John Stine, sales director with the Slingshot Group, which owns the Orlando Free Fall.

“We are devastated that this happened, and our hearts go out the family,” Stine said. “We are cooperating with all other investigations at this time to get to the bottom of what happened.”

The ride is closed indefinitely until the investigation has concluded, Stine said.

The Orlando Free Fall tower, which opened in December, rises 430 feet as the world’s tallest free-standing drop tower, according to the attraction.

Thirty riders sit in the ride as it rises to the top, rotates around the tower, then tilts at 30 degrees to face the ground before a brief moment of free falling, Ritchie Armstrong, CEO of Slingshot Group, told the Orlando Sentinel in January, shortly after opening the attraction.

“It falls down free, detached from the tower, reaching speeds of up to 75 miles per hour before this beautiful magnetic braking system gives them a nice, smooth, slow stop, straight back down to the ground,” Armstrong said.

The Slingshot Group also owns the Orlando SlingShot, which stands at 300 feet and propels two riders in a basket above its support poles for a height of 450 feet at about 100 mph, Armstrong said.