Two dozen riders on one of the State Fair's biggest attractions, the Stratosphere, were safely lowered to the ground Friday night after being suspended for more than two hours near the top of the 20-story-high ride.
Dallas Fire-Rescue and police officers cordoned off the area around the ride, and at about 11:30 p.m., workers began slowly lowering the riders to earth. The crowd below erupted in cheers as the riders reached the ground.The 24 riders became stranded at about 9:15 p.m. on the Stratosphere, a towerlike structure with suspended seats for riders to rotate around the top, when the ride lost power.As the spectacle unfolded, fairgoers updated social media sites with videos and photos. Some riders were seen on the news reports waving to the people below.NBCdfw.com reported that it had contacted a rider by cellphone, who said the lights went out on the ride and then it stopped. The experience, she said, was "extremely scary."WFAA also reported that the ride "had multiple malfunctioning problems at a Minnesota fair earlier this summer."Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
