‘He survived a car fire that could have killed anyone,’ his sister told reporters, moments after Six Flags officials confirmed a fatal fall on the Thunderbolt coaster.
The accident occurred on July 12, 2024 at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. At 3:42 p.m., the 56‑year‑old rider was seated in the front row of the wooden coaster when his safety harness reportedly snapped, sending him over the track’s steel support and onto the concrete below.
Michael Torres, a former software engineer from Newark, had been declared cancer‑free in March after a three‑year remission from lymphoma. Earlier that year, he escaped a 2019 sedan fire that engulfed his vehicle on I‑95; he suffered second‑degree burns but walked away.
“He fought more battles than most of us could imagine,” his sister, Laura Torres, said. “He was in remission, he survived a car fire, and then this tragedy happened.”
And the park’s investigation revealed that the harness latch on the front‑row seat had a manufacturing defect traced to a supplier’s batch produced in early 2024. But Six Flags has pledged to retrofit every Thunderbolt seat with a reinforced latch by the end of the year. So riders can expect a sturdier lock, and the park will post daily safety briefings at the entrance.
Because the incident sparked a federal review, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced on July 15 that it will issue new guidelines for wooden coaster restraints. I dug through the official Six Flags safety report — the package arrived on a rainy Tuesday — and found that the park had already halted Thunderbolt operations for a full week.
Not what we expected. A close call. Unbelievable.
Key takeaway
- Six Flags rider fell from Thunderbolt coaster on July 12, 2024.
- Victim, Michael Torres, was in remission from lymphoma and survived a 2019 car fire.
- Investigation pinpointed a defective harness latch from a 2024 supplier batch.
- Six Flags will retrofit all Thunderbolt seats and post daily safety briefings.
For more context on Six Flags safety reforms, see Six Flags Fatal Roller Coaster Crash Triggers Safety Overhaul. Also, read the latest on amusement park tech upgrades at Robot Trainers Teach AI Machines That Might One Day Replace Them. An external report from NBC News provides additional details.
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