Four people rescued after malfunction strands them 120 feet in the air on Six Flags Sky Screamer ride

The incident occurred around 5:30 p.m. Thursday when the Sky Screamer — a 236-foot-tall spinning swing attraction — stalled with four riders aboard at Six Flags St. Louis. Park maintenance crews first attempted to manually lower the ride but were unsuccessful, prompting a call to emergency services. Footage from Fox 2 news broadcasts showed the riders visibly stranded at elevation while multiple fire and rescue units responded to the park entrance. Eureka Fire Chief Scott Barthelmass described a methodical rescue: crews ascended via crane, contacted the teenagers first, fitted them with harnesses, removed their ride safety equipment, and transferred them to a crane basket before lowering them to the ground; the same process was then repeated for the two adults. A secondary rope-based system was also rigged as a contingency but was not needed. No injuries were reported among the riders or first responders. Six Flags officials emphasized that every ride undergoes daily maintenance checks and requires sign-offs from multiple departments before opening, though the cause of the malfunction remains under investigation.