Roller Coaster Kills Man Looking for Lost Cell Phone

A 45-year-old man was struck and killed by a roller coaster train at Cedar Point on Thursday after he wandered into an area not permitting park-goers.

Authorities said the man, James A. Young of East Canton, OH, had jumped a fence into a restricted area underneath the Raptor roller coaster to retrieve a lost cell phone and was hit by a passing train, according to a report by the Sandusky Register. Investigators have yet to determine whether Young, a teacher, was hit by the train itself, or a passenger on the train. No other injuries were reported in the incident.

 

At approximately 5 p.m., a guest entered a restricted, fenced area of the Raptor roller coaster and was struck by the...

Posted by Cedar Point on Thursday, August 13, 2015
Young's mother, Brenda Young, told The Washington Post that her son loved to visit Cedar Point.

"He went there every summer with his friends," she told the paper. "It was a fun time for him. Just a little break before school started in a couple weeks.” 

When it debuted in 1994, the Raptor was hailed as the world's tallest and longest inverted roller coaster, able to reach 57mph. The ride was halted immediately after the incident, holding some riders in mid-air, before it was shut down while the park remained open for the day, according to reports. 

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Tony Merevick is Cities News Editor at Thrillist. Send news tips to news@thrillist.com and follow him on Twitter @tonymerevick.