All riders rescued from stuck ride at Castles N Coasters in North Phoenix

Family recounts harrowing ordeal after getting stuck on roller coaster ride for 2 hours

The Almarez family had to be rescued from the 'Desert Storm' ride at Castles N Coasters in North Phoenix. The family was among 22 people who were onboard when the ride suddenly stopped working.

PHOENIX - Phoenix Fire officials say all 22 people stuck on a ride at Castles N Coasters in North Phoenix have been rescued.

According to a statement, rescue crews with Phoenix Fire and Glendale Fire responded to the amusement park at around 5:30 p.m. and found that a ride called "Desert Storm" had stalled about 20 feet above ground, on a horizontal loop.

"Firefighters set up a High Angle Belay System to lower each rider down. Every person was fitted with a ‘Pick-off Harness’ and ‘Cinch Collar,'" read a portion of the statement.

Officials say no one was taken to the hospital.

FOX 10 has reached out to officials with the amusement park on the incident, but they have yet to respond.

Family recounts ordeal

The Almarez family were among the last riders to be rescued from the ride. By the time they got back on the ground, they were stuck on the ride for two hours.

"It was scary because we were sitting on the edge," said Joseph Almarez.

"There were a lot of kids on there that were really terrified," said Christopher Almarez. "There was actually one kid that I was trying to hold onto because she was so small. She couldn’t hold herself up."

Riders were brought to safety, one by one, via a 30-foot ladder.

"They had to unlock the thing to hold us on. They had to unlock it, but they were holding us and helping us get on the ladder to get back down," said Christina Almarez.

Despite the ordeal, the family says they will ride on a roller coaster in the future.