Texas roller coaster leaves riders suspended facing the ground for 9 minutes. Then it happens again the next day
Two stops, one weekend, and plenty of safety questions.
A roller coaster stopping unexpectedly is one thing. Being left facing the ground at the top of a vertical drop is another. Riders at a newly opened Texas theme park experienced both during its opening weekend, only for the same attraction to stop again the following day.
As reported by BroBible, the incidents involved Circuit Breaker, a tilt roller coaster at COTALAND, located in Austin, Texas. According to the amusement park, the first unplanned stop left riders secured in their seats for approximately nine minutes before staff helped them exit. The next day, another group experienced a similar interruption.
Riders face the ground as the roller coaster stops
Circuit Breaker is designed to tilt its track into position before sending riders down a steep drop. During the first incident, however, the ride stopped while facing the ground instead of continuing its journey.
Rider Nicholas Thomas captured the moment on video. “What? Oh my God. No way,” he said as the coaster stopped. When friends asked whether he was okay, he waved and replied, “I’m good! We’re just a little stuck.”
Thomas later praised the staff’s handling of the situation. “They did an amazing job at keeping everybody calm and getting us down,” he told KXAN News. He also described the incident as the ride’s safety system operating as intended rather than a malfunction.
The park reportedly gave him a shirt, season passes, and a complimentary hot lap around the racetrack. He even returned to Circuit Breaker after it reopened.
Other amusement park visitors have shared their experiences of unexpectedly getting stuck on rides. At Six Flags New England, passengers were forced to climb down a roller coaster after Superman the Ride stopped mid-ride. Trained employees helped them exit safely. Another report covered a different kind of amusement park interruption: a woman said she was stranded on a Santa Cruz Ferris wheel while people were running through the park below.
COTALAND says the stops were part of its safety procedures
The following day, Circuit Breaker stopped again. This time, COTALAND said the vehicle returned to its regular horizontal position after approximately two minutes, allowing passengers to exit normally.
Park spokesperson Megan Fazio explained that the coaster uses sensors and safety systems to monitor operating conditions. If a required condition isn’t met, the system can automatically stop the ride rather than allow it to continue.
Attorney Edward Festerygra disagreed with that characterization. He represents Matthew Cantu, who filed a lawsuit alleging he was injured during a separate Circuit Breaker incident in December 2025.
“There’s nothing normal about it,” Festerygra said, referring to riders being suspended facing the ground. He also questioned why the attraction had stopped twice during its opening weekend.
The lawsuit concerns an earlier incident in which Cantu and another rider were reportedly stranded for nearly an hour. It is separate from the Circuit Breaker’s recent consecutive-day stops.
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