More than two dozen people are recovering after a theme park ride in Oregon left them hanging upside down for more than 20 minutes.

On Friday, June 14, 28 passengers were riding Portland’s Oaks Amusement Park’s AtmosFEAR at around 2:55 p.m. when the ride stopped in its place, suspending them all upside down in its “apex position,” the park said in a statement shared to X (formerly Twitter).

According to the amusement park, the ride operators working on AtmosFEAR — which can operate on either a 180- or 360-degree setting as it sends its riders flipping through the air on a loop — called 911 and began initiating “emergency procedures.”

First responders, including Portland Fire & Rescue, arrived on the scene around 3:20 p.m., the park said. Within minutes all of the riders were taken off the ride and safely returned to the ground.

“We wish to express our deepest appreciation to the first responders and our staff for taking prompt action, leading to a positive outcome today, and to the rest of the park guests who swiftly followed directions to vacate the park to make way for the emergency responders to attend to the situation,” park officials wrote in the statement. “Most of all, we are thankful that the riders are safe and with their families.”

Park visitor Daniel Allen told local ABC affiliate station KATU that the experience stunned him so much that he began to cry when he finally touched the ground.

“I was crying, not of joy, not of anything, I was just crying. I was more happy, I was alive. I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated my life more. This is really an acknowledgement moment for me,” he told the outlet.

Fellow AtmosFEAR rider Jordan Harding also told the outlet that although she did not suffer any medical issues from being stuck upside down, the entire experience was uncomfortable.

“My entire waist below was asleep,” she said. “[A fellow rider] told me, he was like, ‘You have to hold your legs back.’ It was so hard. It was so bad.”

“So there’s this like woman firefighter, and she’s like tiny, and she’s like, ‘Oh I got you,’ ” Harding continued, describing her rescuer. “I’m like, ‘Are you sure?’ And she literally, like, picked me up, and I was just so overwhelmed and everything, I gave her, like, the biggest hug.”

One rider, who had pre-existing health conditions prior to the incident, was transported to a local hospital as a precaution, the park said. All other riders were assessed by first responders and given the go-ahead to go home.

According to a Facebook post shared by Portland Fire on Saturday, June 15, rescue teams had previously trained for this scenario, and the amusement park added in its statement that the team had even been trained to respond to an emergency on this exact ride.

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“[Firefighters] have preplanned this scenario and were en route to the site ready to deploy to put our plan into action,” the fire department wrote in the post. “It may have taken a few minutes longer to return everyone to the ground, but we are ready for this and many other unique emergencies. We leave nothing to chance as we preplan and train on what ‘could’ happen before it actually happens.”

According to the park, AtmosFEAR first opened in 2021 and has “operated without incident” until Friday — which was also the park’s first day of operation for the 2024 summer season.

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Oaks Park told KATU that it would initiate an investigation with the help of the ride’s manufacturer and state inspectors in an attempt to figure out what caused the ride to stop.

The park closed for the day soon after the incident, officials added, and Oak’s website states that the attraction will be closed until further notice.

HERRIMAN, Utah — University of Utah quarterback Cam Rising has been busy this off-season, hosting his first-ever “Rising Stars” football camp at Herriman High School.

“I’ve been in Utah for quite a while now; it really has become home to me,” said Rising. “Utes fans always come out and show so much support for us, so we’re giving to the community and doing anything we can.”

His football camp was for all athletes, grades K-12, and special needs athletes got to be a part of the fun with the “12th man” portion of the camp.

“I just wanted to make sure everybody has the opportunity,” Rising said. “Football is sometimes only for a select few, and when you can invite more people to be involved with football, it just expands the horizon.”

Supported by GATS Entertainment, this football camp was more than just sport. There was also a semi-truck that was being loaded up with food to contribute to the “For The Kids” Foundation, plus a portion of the camp’s money raised will be given to Herriman High School.

Joining Rising at the camp were also some of his Utah football teammates, who said it was important to them to be there.

“I saw Cam was having a camp and he was just talking to us in the locker room and he said, ‘Come have fun,’ so I came out here,” said Utah cornerback Tao Johnson. “It’s an amazing opportunity to give back to those same kids who are in the stands on Saturdays.”

Running back Jaylon Glover added: “Anything for Cam. This is what you live for, you know, coming to the next level you want to give back because I remember when I was in these kids’ shoes.”

One of the special needs campers, who got to hang with Rising, shared that the support was the best part.

“Oh, this was so fun,” he said. “To have all these people come and support you and help you be a part of what they do, it’s really the best feeling in the world.”

Utah opens its 2024 football season with Rising leading the way on Thursday, August 29, at home against Southern Utah.