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No Laughing Matter: 2 Dozen Rescued From Six Flags Roller Coaster

LARGO, Md. (WJZ) -- The Joker's Jinx roller coaster ride at Six Flags America broke down Thursday afternoon and left 24 people stuck on board the ride for hours.

Prince George's County Fire/EMS spokesman Mark Brady said that the riders became stuck around 5:35 p.m. 80 feet above ground at a 30-degree angle.

RELATED: 24 People Rescued From Md. Six Flags Roller Coaster

Fifty fire department officials responded to the scene to safely rescue the riders one-by-one.

The riders ranged from age 6 to 45. They were all down just before 9:30 p.m. No injuries were reported.

Friday afternoon, the ride remained shut down with carts still stalled at the top.

"Safety here at the department is always our number one concern," said Secretary Kelly Schulz of the Maryland Department of Labor Licensing and Regulation.

They oversee amusement ride inspections in Maryland.

"They are inspected annually, typically before all of parks open, this particular was last inspected on March 2, I believe it is," she said.

With no violations, but what's concerning is a mirrored image in 2014.The same exact ride was stuck in a similar spot due to debris dropped onto the track by a rider.

"Our accident rate is 1000th of 1 percent of every ride that comes into state of Maryland," Schulz said.

[Reporter: If you look at that number, two incidents with the same ride, that's a little concerning wouldn't you say?]

"Depending on the extremity of those incidents, we would have to look at that and see if there's a trend."

[Reporter: Is it an option that this ride could be shut down, is everything on the table right now, are you exploring all options?]

"There are all options on the table, we never allow a ride to open if we feel there is a safety issue."

Six Flags released the following statement:

Earlier this evening, Joker's Jinx did not complete its regular ride cycle causing it to stop at a safe location on the track. The Prince George's County Fire Department was assisted by the Anne Arundel County Fire Department in getting the riders safely off the ride, and this process was completed at 9:21 p.m.  The safety of our guests is our highest priority and the ride will be closed for a thorough inspection before re-opening.

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