Police Identify Man Killed in Six Flags Goliath Fall as Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, as Nine Coasters Stay Closed

Since a rider fell from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday, Oct. 12, police have identified the dead man and Six Flags has shut nine similar coasters across six parks. What caused the fall is still unanswered.

Who died

The Cobb County Police Department identified him as Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, of Atlanta. In a statement, police said he was ejected from the coaster and struck other riders as he fell.

Officers found him beneath the ride just before 4 p.m., unconscious and not breathing. Police have not said how he died.

Atlanta Public Schools confirmed Tuesday, Oct. 13, that Kariem worked for the district as an information technology manager at Wesley International Academy, a public K-8 charter school. The district called him "a cherished member" of the school community "whose presence and impact will be deeply missed by our students, staff and all those whose lives he touched."

Several other people were hurt. Police have released nothing on their conditions.

What riders say they saw

Six Flags and police have not formally named the ride. Local TV video showed passengers being evacuated from Goliath, and Six Flags closed the Georgia coaster along with its counterparts elsewhere.

A rider told Atlanta station WXIA that Kariem appeared in the automatic souvenir photos taken as their train passed. "He was in our pictures," the rider said. "He fell and hit the car three different times."

A couple on the ride gave WXIA a similar account. "The vehicle hit him, and then he flew back up again, and it hit him again, and then that's when he was, I guess, flung from the ride," the man said. The woman said staff had checked their safety harness before departure.

According to an eyewitness account relayed by WXIA, Kariem was riding with his son while his wife and daughter watched from the ground. Another rider told the station his train was stuck on the ascent for about an hour with no updates from the park.

Witness accounts differ on where he landed. One account has him on the roof of a haunted house attraction, another in nearby woods. Police say only that he was found beneath the coaster.

Closures and inspections

Six Flags confirmed it closed nine coasters at six parks, including the Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. A company spokesperson said the shutdowns are "out of an abundance of caution" and described the rides as "similar." The company has not explained how it chose them.

A spokesperson said there is no timeline for reopening Magic Mountain's Goliath. The two coasters share a name, but the California ride, which opened in 2000, is taller and faster than the Georgia one. It reaches 85 mph with a 255-foot drop, according to the park's website. The Georgia ride, which opened in 2006, tops out at 70 mph and 200 feet.

Inspectors and investigators from the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner went to the scene to examine the ride equipment alongside park staff, according to Fox 11 Los Angeles. Cobb police's Major Crimes Unit is leading the criminal-side investigation. No findings have been released, and nobody has said the ride malfunctioned.

Six Flags said it is cooperating fully. "Out of respect for the family's privacy, we will not be sharing additional details at this time," the company said.

Cobb County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said next of kin have been notified. "I cannot imagine the horror the patrons and employees witnessed today, and my heart aches for the family who lost a loved one," she said.

A rough stretch for the company

The closures come less than a month after Magic Mountain permanently retired its X2 coaster in late September. Lawsuits allege the ride caused serious brain injuries. Attorneys for injured guests said at a press conference that more than 300 people reported medical problems after riding X2, including some who needed emergency brain surgery. Other accounts put the number of claimants at more than 100.

Six Flags settled a wrongful-death suit brought by the family of Christopher Hawley, 22, who died of a traumatic brain injury the day after riding X2 in June 2022. The suits also allege Six Flags and the ride's manufacturer, S&S Worldwide, relied on outdated testing and maintenance.

Park officials have said X2 consistently passed safety inspections. Former Magic Mountain President Brian Oerding said the ride was retired because "when we see guest confidence affected, we take it seriously." Nothing in the record links the X2 litigation to Monday's death in Georgia.

The Georgia park has a history as well. The Doan Law Firm, which tracks amusement park accidents and represents victims, counts Kariem's death as at least the seventh at Six Flags Over Georgia. One was a man in 2006 who suffered a likely heart attack on Goliath.

Six Flags has not said when any of the nine coasters will reopen. The Georgia investigation has not yet established how Kariem left the train, and until police or state inspectors release findings, the closures will stay open-ended.