Police are investigating after a 14-year-old teen boy died after falling from a ride at an Orlando theme park.
NBC affiliate WESH-TV reports the teen fell around 11 p.m. from the Orlando Free-Fall ride at the ICON Park, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
The teen was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Sheriff John Mina identified the teen as Tyree Samson, who was with a friend's family at the theme park and visiting from Missouri.
The sheriff's office is still investigating whether it was an accident not, Mina said in a news conference. No criminal charges have been filed at the moment.
"It appears to be a tragic situation," Mina added.
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Mina said victim advocates have been in contact with the teen's family.
"We can't imagine the pain and anguish the family is going through," Mina said.
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A video aired by NBC's “Today" show Friday morning appears to show passengers on the ride discussing issues with a seat restraint Thursday night. The ride then began its trek up the tower before someone is later seen falling from the ride. The sheriff's department flagged the video because it should not have been made public, Mina said.
“We are absolutely saddened and devastated by what happened, and our hearts go out this young man's family,” John Stine, sales director with the Slingshot Group which owns the ride, told The Associated Press on Friday morning.
Mina said there were no previous reports to the sheriff's department about issues with the ride.
The ride opened in December 2021, billing itself as the world’s tallest freestanding drop tower at 430 feet according to the park's website.
The ride holds 30 passengers as it rises in the air, rotates around the tower and then tilts to face the ground before free falling at more than 75 mph (120 kph), the website said.
“We are cooperating with all other investigations at this time to get to the bottom of what happened,” Stine said.
