Maryland's Six Flags requires chaperones for young guests to boost safety

 BOWIE, Md. (7News) — For all the thrill-seekers headed to Six Flags America this weekend in Bowie, Maryland, the amusement park is implementing a new chaperone policy for younger guests.

Safety is the reason for the change. All guests 15 and younger are now required to be accompanied by a chaperone who is at least 21 years old to go in or remain inside the park after 4 p.m.

The adult chaperone must present a government-issued photo I.D. at ticket entry. The company told 7News that “the safety of our guests and associates has always been our top priority”

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But Six Flags is not saying if a specific incident prompted the new rule. Each year, however, the county receives numerous complaints about unruly visitors, fights, and other issues, including theft. The most recent high-profile incident occurred in 2021 when a huge brawl broke out and several cars in the parking lot were destroyed.

Just months ago, the Prince George’s County Council passed emergency legislation allowing businesses to request police patrols and enforce juvenile curfew zones after several incidents of flash mob shoplifting and massive fights involving hundreds of teens infested the National Harbor.

With Prince George’s County looking to lure in more big companies and agencies like the FBI, council member Wala Blegay told 7News that crime is the priority.

“What we were seeing at National Harbor is that parents were dropping their kids off as young as 13-14 and just like droning off and then we saw flash mobs. We cannot afford that, Prince George’s County is a great place but sometimes when there is crime, there’s so much coverage on it that it overshadows all of the positive things we’re doing,” Blegay said.

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A single chaperone is only allowed to escort up to 10 young guests and they must accompany them throughout their entire stay and be available by phone.

This policy is not nationwide — Bowie is one of only three locations making the change. The other parks are in Atlanta and San Francisco.

“I spoke with Six Flags, I spoke with the management and they’ll never say it and thats ok, I’ll be the one to say it. We are going to be looking at bringing some companies here and what we don’t want is there to be some sort of flash mob that they find, that you are covering that somebody can forward the link and say there’s a problem in Prince George’s,” added Blegay.