Roller coaster passenger catches flying phone at 80 mph

Sept. 5 (UPI) -- An on-board camera on a roller coaster at a Spanish amusement park captured the moment a New Zealand man snatched another passenger's dropped phone out of midair.

Samuel Kempf said she was riding the Shambhala roller coaster at the Port Aventura theme park when a passenger riding further up than him dropped his iPhone X.

Kempf said the phone landed on the floor of the ride and he joked to fellow passengers to be ready to catch the device, but he still surprised himself when he managed to reach up and grab the phone when the ride's 80 mph speed caused it to go airborne.

Kempf's speedy catch was caught on video by a camera affixed to the ride to record passengers' reactions.

He said he found the owner of the phone on solid ground and returned the dropped phone.

"He couldn't believe it, he gave me a big hug," Kempf told The Timaru Herald.

The passenger who dropped the phone bought Kempf a copy of the roller coaster video as a thank you for his gesture.