TWO men were left stranded over 100ft in the air for more than half an hour after a new “tilt” rollercoaster malfunctioned.
Matthew Cantu, 24, and Nicholas Sanchez, 20, were left dangling after the ride suddenly stalled on December 17.
The brand-new rollercoaster is designed to haul thrill seekers to a summit, before tilting them forwards and dropping them down a steep downhill slope at up to 60mph.
But terrifying glitch took place before the “Circuit Breaker” coaster’s first drop, leaving the pair stuck facing the ground at a 90-degree angle.
Suspended 130ft in the air, Cantu and Sanchez had an agonising wait of nearly an hour before they were freed by emergency services.
One of the men told CBS Austin that they had no “sense of comfort or safety”.
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He said: “One we got to that 90-degree angle and a sufficient amount of time had passed we realised that something serious was wrong.
“At that position the only thing between the ground and you is the harness.
“Being up there for that long, it can do a lot to a person.
“Once that 30-minute mark passed, my mind just went to the darkest places.”
The man claimed staff were not taking the incident seriously.
He said: “Staff, when they came up to assess the situation, made light of the situation by giggling and making jokes.”
A family member of a rider added: “As a loved one you never expect to go through something like that.”
A spokesperson for the riders told KXAN that their relatives were given no clear information about the incident at the time.
There had even been concern that the men were not properly strapped into the ride.
They said: “For more than 30 minutes after the ride stopped, family members reported receiving no clear updates, while witnesses said staff provided conflicting explanations, including comments that the riders ‘weren’t strapped in correctly’.”
After 36 minutes, one of the men’s relatives called 911, and help arrived soon afterwards.
The spokesperson said: “With no emergency crews on scene by 9:28 p.m., the family called 911.
“COTA’s on-site EMS arrived at 9:40 p.m., followed by Travis County Fire Rescue and Austin–Travis County EMS, who questioned the delayed notification.”
The rollercoaster “Circuit Breaker” was the first ride to open at “COTALAND,” a theme park at the the Circuit of the Americas racetrack in Austin, Texas.
Cantu had “lightheadedness and symptoms consistent with blood pooling” while in the air, the pair’s spokesperson said.
Sanchez allegedly experienced “numbness in his upper leg”, they added, but the men didn’t need medical treatment once freed.
A spokesperson for the theme park told Fox News that “a sensor triggered a ride delay”.
They said: “It was resolved, and the ride proceeded without incident.”
The spokesperson praised the bravery of Cantu and Sanchez, saying: “As with all amusement attractions of this sort, delays occasionally occur.
“We regret the inconvenience and are glad that out of the 25,000 people that have ridden the coaster, only two have this badge of courage.”
This follows a horrifying fatal incident at a top European theme park last month.
A woman plummeted to her death from a Jetline rollercoaster when a support arm under one of the carts broke, causing the train to come to a sudden stop and partially derail.
Nine people were injured in the accident at Gröna Lund theme park in Stockholm, Sweden.