Shock ICON Park video shows ride worker joking about seat belts and safety seconds before boy, 14, fell to his death
A RIDE worker was seen joking about seat belts and safety just moments before a 14-year-old boy fell to his death at the ICON Park free fall ride.
A bystander recorded the interactions between the ride's operators and riders who were on the attraction when the tragedy happened Thursday night in Orlando, Florida.
As they were getting on the ride, nervous riders are seen asking about seat belts.
"Why doesn't this have the little clicky click? Like the seat belt?" asked one of the riders.
"You talking about a seat belt?" one of the ride workers replied.
As the ride begins, one of the operators asked: "Have you checked your seat belt? On the left side. Seat belt?"
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"Nope," someone is heard replying.
The video shows both the before and after of the tragedy, as well as the fall.
Police have identified the victim as Tyre Sampson; the boy, from Missouri, was visiting Central Florida with a friend's family, Orange County Sheriff John Mina confirmed on Friday.
Following the horror plunge, a woman asked for an ambulance, and people were heard screaming, demanding to be let off the ride.
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Crew members were seen gathering in shock, as one of them asked: "Are you sure you checked him?"
A spokesperson for the Slingshot Group of Companies, which owns the ride, confirmed the teenager was in a safety harness, adding that staff "operate the ride with all the safety precaution in mind."
The Orange County Sheriff's Department told The Sun the investigation is in its very early stages.
A preliminary investigation points to a "tragic accident" and so far there are no criminal charges in the work, police said.
The Florida Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services will be looking into whether there were issues with the ride itself.
The free fall ride at ICON Park opened in December and is billed as the world's tallest at 430 feet.
ICON Park released a statement on Friday: "A tragedy occurred last night at the Orlando FreeFall and our hearts are heavy with sadness.
"The owner of the attraction is fully cooperating with authorities and ICON Park is doing everything we can to assist.
"The Orlando FreeFall will be closed pending a full investigation. Other businesses at ICON Park are scheduled to be open during their normal business hours."
Cops received reports of an emergency just after 11pm local time on Thursday.
Montrey Williams told Fox35: "At first we thought it was a piece of the ride or whatever until we got a little closer and it was a person laying on the ground.
"Everyone was just panicking and screaming."
ICON Park is also home to the Orlando Slingshot - the tallest slingshot ride in the world.
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And, the theme park's StarFlyer attraction is the world's tallest swing ride.
A 21-year-old worker fell to his death while inspecting the ride in September 2020.
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