Orlando FreeFall Ride to be Dismantled After 14-Year-Old Missouri Boy Fell to His Death During Ride

Black plastic wrapping is viewed on one of the seats of the Orlando Free Fall ride at the ICON Park entertainment complex, where Tyre Sampson fell to his death while on the ride in Orlando, Fla., June 15, 2022. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP, FILE)

The world’s tallest tower drop ride will be taken down after a Missouri teenager fell to his death while riding it earlier this year, the operator of the Florida amusement park attraction announced Thursday.

Fourteen-year-old Tyre Sampson died after slipping out of his seat while on the Orlando FreeFall ride at ICON Park on March 24. The eighth grader was a star football player who was visiting the theme park with his team.

Orlando Slingshot, which operates the ride, said it has decided to take down the 430-foot-tall attraction in the wake of Sampson’s death.

A makeshift memorial for Tyre Sampson sits outside the Orlando Free Fall ride at the ICON Park entertainment complex in Orlando, Fla., March 27, 2022. Sampson, a teenager visiting from Missouri on spring break, fell to his death while on the ride. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP, FILE)

“We are devastated by Tyre’s death. We have listened to the wishes of Tyre’s family and the community and have made the decision to take down the FreeFall,” Ritchie Armstrong, an official with Orlando Slingshot, said in a statement.

The timeline for decommissioning the ride, which has been closed since the incident, will be determined pending approval from “all involved parties and regulatory entities,” the operator said.

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SOURCE: ABC News, Meredith Deliso