Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem identified after fatal Six Flags roller coaster fall- Park closes nine rides after the Goliath roller coaster tragedy

A visit to Six Flags Over Georgia ended in tragedy when Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, a 42-year-old Atlanta man, fell from the Goliath roller coaster and died. The incident happened Monday afternoon and left other riders injured, according to police. As investigators work to understand what went wrong, Six Flags has temporarily closed nine similar rides at parks across the United States and Canada. The inputs are take from various outlets- The New York Times, CNN, and 11Alive.

Kariem’s death has also left a school community mourning a man remembered for his work as an educator.

Who was Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem?

Kariem worked at Wesley International Academy, a public charter school in the Atlanta Public Schools district. His family remembered him as a passionate educator who cared about Atlanta and wanted to help bring families back together, 11Alive reported.

The school district shared a statement expressing its condolences to his loved ones and the people who knew him through his work. Wesley International Academy also sent a letter to families, acknowledging how difficult the news would be for students, staff and others in the school community.

Investigators with the Cobb County Police Department have been speaking with witnesses and employees to piece together what happened. Preliminary findings suggest Kariem was thrown from the roller coaster. Police said he struck other people before falling beneath the ride. Officers found him unresponsive when they arrived.



Some riders said they saw the fall unfold in front of them. One person told 11Alive that Kariem had appeared in their souvenir photograph taken during the ride.

"He was in our pictures," the witness said. "He fell and hit the car three different times."

Another witness told the station that Kariem hit other riders before landing on the roof of a haunted house attraction below.

Logan Conner was riding with his fiancée when he saw Kariem come out of his seat.

"The man started levitating in the air sideways," he said. "We made direct eye contact with him."

Nicholas Mendenhall told TODAY that he and his son had ridden Goliath about 10 minutes before the incident. He described seeing Kariem come out of his seat.

"He came up out of his car, he was in his seat, and went forward and just came down head first," he said. "It was in slow motion. And there was a moment where I was like ‘God just let this man stay in that cart.’ It all happened so fast."



Police have not confirmed what caused Kariem to fall. Investigators have not established whether a mechanical problem, operator error or another factor was involved. The department's Major Crimes Unit and the state agency responsible for amusement park safety are investigating. Officials have not confirmed how many other riders were injured or provided an update on their conditions.

Why are nine similar rides being closed

Six Flags has taken nine rides out of service for now. They say they’re doing this "out of an abundance of caution.” The rides affected are: Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America, Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure, Leviathan and Behemoth at Canada’s Wonderland, Fury 325 and Thunder Striker at Carowinds and Orion and Diamondback at Kings Island. Also Montreal’s La Ronde park has shut down its Goliath ride, for a safety check.

Six Flags hasn’t said when these rides will come back. This comes after Six Flags Magic Mountain said they plan to retire their X2 roller coaster, a weeks ago.The ride had been closed since July following reports of serious injuries and lawsuits involving riders.

Six Flags said it was deeply saddened by Kariem's death and was providing support to guests and employees affected by the incident. For now, investigators are still working to establish what happened on Goliath. Until they reach a conclusion, the cause of Kariem's fall remains unknown.