The roller coaster hanging thief heist

Riders on a roller coaster in Illinois had an unusual Independence Day this year. The ride got stuck upside down. On July 4, a Scared Rabbit roller coaster train at Five Flags Over Champaign amusement park filled with holiday revelers was mid-way through it’s run when it got stuck. More than 60 people dangled in the air while park employees scrambled to fix it.

As the sun beat down on the stranded passengers, panic began to set in. Children cried and screamed while adults tried to stay calm and reassure them that help was on the way. The heat was unbearable and sweat soaked through their clothes as they hung upside down.

One woman, named Sarah, tried to distract herself by looking out at the surrounding park. She could see families enjoying other rides, and the sound of laughter and cheering only made her feel more helpless. Suddenly, she noticed something strange in the distance.

A group of people dressed in all black were making their way through the park, moving quickly and purposefully. As they got closer, Sarah saw that they were carrying tools and equipment, and realized they must be some kind of rescue team. She felt a surge of relief and hope.

The team arrived at the base of the coaster and began working on the mechanism that had caused the ride to malfunction. As they worked, Sarah watched in awe. They moved with such precision and efficiency. Several of the men even climbed up the towers and over to the stuck car.

One of them reached Sarah and her family. He stuck a gun in their face and said, “Let’s have it. Everything. Now!”

“Hey, you aren’t trying to fix the ride,” Sarah said. “You are robbers!”

“Gee, no kidding, lady. You think I climbed up here for my health? Now quit stalling and let’s have it. Money, cash, jewels, watches, phones, everything. You better give me the kitchen sink if you have one.” He laughed at his dumb joke.

Sarah’s heart raced as she looked at the menacing man. She felt a lump in her throat and tried to speak, but no sound came out. The man cocked his head and repeated himself, his voice cold and threatening.

“Come on, don’t make this harder than it needs to be. We know you have valuables on you. Hand them over, now!”

Sarah’s mind raced as she desperately tried to think of a solution. She knew she had to protect her family, but she didn’t want to put them in danger. She looked around at the other stranded passengers, but they were all too far away to help.

“I have some gum you can have,” Sarah’s son Jamie said as he held out a stick for the thief.

“No, Jamie, don’t!” Sarah yelled.

The robber reached out with one hand while hanging 60 feet from the ground with the other. “Gee, thanks kid, don’t mind if I do.”

Jamie said, “It’s Raspberry. My favorite.”

“Wow, aren’t you a good kid. Thanks. Now tell your parents to give me the stuff or they will die.”

The thief grabbed the gum from Jamie and put it in his mouth. Jamie smiled as Sarah and the family recoiled from his nasty threat.

As the thief chewed the gum, his face turned white. His eyes began to bulge, and his grip loosened. “What did you do to me, kid? Ahhhhhhhhhh…” he yelled as his fingers slipped and he fell to the mid-way tarmac.

“Sorry, mister!” Jamie called down to the body on the ground.

“Jamie, what did you do?” Sarah gasped.

“I put some tetrodotoxin in the gum, Mom! It paralyzes your muscles. I learned it in school!” Jamie laughed.

Sarah’s heart raced as she watched the scene unfold below her. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. Her son had saved them all from the robber. She hugged Jamie tightly, tears streaming down her face. “You’re a hero,” she whispered.

At the far end of the midway, a police SWAT team had quickly made their way toward the Scared Rabbit. As they neared the famed roller coaster, the team leader, John Bunkerstrong, called the crew together. “One of them just fell from the ride, folks. We must take out the others. I want two on the cable car, two on the hot dog stand and you three stationed outside the Pig pavilion. On my count, we move it. Start firing immediately at any unfriendlies on my signal.”

Bunkerstrong looked around as the crew members moved into positions. He dropped his arm, and they began firing at the thieves still trying to rob the riders. One by one they fell as the SWAT sharpshooters took them down. Within seconds the robbery gang was no more.

Bunkerstrong ran around to the back of the ride with his second in command, Barney Rubrick.

Rubrick said, “Sir, look at this. The thieves just unplugged the whole ride.” He pointed to a thick electrical plug and cord that was pulled free from the wall receptacle.

“Dang,” Forsythe said. “The old ‘Pulled Wall Plug,’ move. Haven’t seen that one in a while.”

After park workers plugged the ride back in and finished checking the track, the passengers were finally brought back to safety, Sarah couldn’t stop thinking about what Jamie had done. She knew that he had acted out of desperation, but she also knew that he had saved their lives.

After they were safely back on the ground, a police officer approached Sarah and her family. He asked them what had happened, and Jamie bravely told him the truth.

“You did what?” he asked incredulously.

“I put tetrodotoxin in the gum, sir. It paralyzes your muscles,” Jamie replied confidently. “I learned it in school.”

“Who taught you that, son?”

“It was Mrs. Tetrason. She said she used it to murder her husband.”

The police officer looked at Jamie skeptically. He could not believe that a teacher would teach something so dangerous to young children. “That’s a very serious accusation, Jamie. Are you sure that is what she said?” he asked.

Jamie nodded. “Yes, sir. She said that she used it to make sure that he wouldn’t be able to move when she killed him.”

The police officer’s eyes widened in shock. He knew that they had to investigate this further. “Thank you for telling me, Jamie. We’re going to need to ask you some more questions later, but for now, let’s get you and your family to safety.”

As they walked away from the ride, Sarah felt a mix of emotions. She was grateful to be safe, but also worried about what would happen next. She knew that they would have to talk to the police more about what had happened, and that Jamie’s revelation about his teacher was going to cause a lot of trouble.

“Jamie, are you sure your teacher wasn’t joking. Surely, she was kidding around.”

“I don’t think so, she said she used the tetrodotoxin to relax his muscles so she could stab him with a kitchen knife and not have to worry about him fighting back.”

“Oh my gosh,” Sarah said. “Don’t say another word.” Then she asked Jamie, “Wait, what grade did she give you this year?”

“Oh, I got an A!” Jamie said.

“An A! Wow! Very good, son! Well, that’s different. Let’s forget all about her little spat with her husband. He probably did something wrong anyway.”