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It was an intense half an hour for those on the ground and in the air when the Mach 3 ride malfunctioned on the Stampede Midway early Saturday evening, leaving ride-goers dangling in mid-air.

Rebecca Hardcastle said she came by the ride around 6 p.m. and saw the arms of the ride sticking out at 90-degree angles to the ground.

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“In one of (the arms) a man was facing the ground and it looked like his daughter kept shaking him because it looked like he kept passing in and out of consciousness,” said Hardcastle.

She then witnessed one of the ride operators climb a ladder and pull a rope down from one of the arms. They were able to bring that arm down, but the harnesses wouldn’t release, so it took awhile before passengers could get out.

“(The man) kept grabbing his chest. He kind of stumbled down the stairs of the ride,” said Hardcastle.

They then pulled the other arm of the ride down which had four girls stuck on it, but they appeared to be fine, just a bit shaken up if anything.