March 25 (UPI) -- Authorities in Florida are trying to determine what caused a teenage boy to fall to his death from a "free fall" ride at Orlando's ICON amusement park, officials said Friday.
The boy was on the thrill ride -- called the Orlando Free Fall -- late Thursday night when he fell from the attraction, which is 430 feet tall. Riders are buckled in and restrained on a ring-type platform that strongly shoots down the tower. A number of similar rides are in operation across the United States.
The Orlando Free Fall and an adjacent ride, the Slingshot, were both shut down on Friday pending the outcome of the investigation.
"We are devastated that this happened, and our hearts go out to the family," said John Stine, sales director with the Slingshot Group of Companies, which owns the Orlando Free Fall, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
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"We are cooperating with all other investigations at this time to get to the bottom of what happened."
The ride has only been operating at the park for a few months. It can carry nearly three dozen riders per shot and rotates them around a tower before they enter free fall.
"I offer my deepest condolences for the family of the 14-year-old boy who died following the tragic incident at ICON Park," Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said, according to WESH-TV.
"I look to receiving more information about what happened in the incident and what will be done to prevent it from ever happening again. The Florida Department of Agriculture and the Orange County Sheriff's Office investigations will bring clarity to the circumstances and next steps."
