ICON Park Free Fall death: Did Orlando ride show signs of mechanical issues before?
ORLANDO, Fla. - A man who visited Orlando's ICON Park weeks ago says a seat appeared to be out of order on the Orlando Free Fall ride – the same ride a 14-year-old boy recently fell from and died.
Bo Pomeroy tells FOX 35 News that he was at ICON Park on March 5. He says when he was going to ride the drop tower attraction, he "decided not to ride when I saw the broken seat."
RELATED: Teen dies after fall from drop tower ride at Orlando's ICON PARK, authorities say
Photos sent to FOX 35 show the seat with a black plastic bag wrapped around it with yellow and red tape on the overhead bar.
FOX 35's Ryan Elijah tweeted photos of the ride from when he went to the attraction months ago.
"A look at the restraints on the Orlando Free Fall ride. They pull over the rider - similar to a roller coaster (no seat belts). 2 workers do safety checks and make sure restraints are locked."
Detectives are investigating after a teenager fell to his death while riding the Orlando attraction on Thursday night, according to officials with the Orange County Sheriff's Office. Witnesses on the scene told deputies that someone had fallen off the Orlando Free Fall ride, which opened in December 2021.
RELATED: Teen falls from Florida ride: Video shows moments leading up to deadly plunge
The boy was transported to the hospital, where he died from his injuries. He has been identified as Tyre Sampson. Orange County Sheriff John Mina says he was visiting Orlando from his home in Missouri with another family in Central Florida.
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FOX 35 has requested most recent inspection reports for the drop tower ride.
According to ICON Park's website, the Orlando Free Fall stands at 430 feet, "making it the world’s tallest freestanding drop tower."
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