Police identified the victim as Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, of Atlanta. Witnesses told CNN affiliate WXIA that they saw the man fall out of the coaster car, strike it three times, and fall onto the roof of a haunted house attraction below.

Six Flags said it was 'deeply saddened by the guest incident' and is cooperating fully with the investigation.

The death is surprising because witnesses told local outlets that park workers checked safety harnesses before the ride launched, and one witness said she saw an empty seat with a loose safety bar afterward.

Two witnesses on the ride told WXIA they had been having a good time before suddenly screaming as the man came loose from his seat, according to the BBC.

The BBC reports the incident was even captured in the souvenir photos automatically taken of the coaster in motion, and that Kariem appeared to be riding with his son while his wife and daughter watched from the ground.

Aerial footage showed the Goliath stopped midway with riders being helped down a stairway along the tracks. Witness CiCi Nelson told CNN she was in line when the coaster returned with an empty seat and a girl covered in blood.

Kariem struck several other people before falling beneath the ride, police said, according to CNN. The BBC notes it has not independently verified the ejection accounts, and officials have not said how Kariem died or how many people were injured.

The cause of death remains undisclosed by the Cobb County Medical Examiner's Office pending the ongoing investigation.

Out of what it called an 'abundance of caution,' Six Flags temporarily closed nine rides across six parks, including Orion and Diamondback at Kings Island, Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America, Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure, Leviathan and Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland, Fury 325 and Thunder Striker at Carowinds, and Goliath at Magic Mountain, per CNN.

All are steel hypercoasters built by Switzerland-based Bolliger & Mabillard, the maker of the Georgia Goliath, which called the events 'tragic' and said it is actively investigating.

The timing compounds pressure on a struggling company. CNN reports Six Flags has not recorded a profitable quarter since summer 2024 and posted a $203 million net loss last quarter; its annual filing warns safety incidents could threaten affordable liability insurance coverage.

CBS News says shares of Six Flags, trading under the ticker FUN, slid 16.3% to $9.98 by late morning Tuesday, extending a slide that leaves them down 33.8% for the year.

Detectives from the Cobb County Police Department's Major Crimes Unit continue to investigate what caused the fall, with Chairwoman Lisa Cupid saying the county will work closely with the park.

Industry consultant Dennis Speigel told CBS News such incidents typically stem from an engineering, operating, or rider responsibility issue and historically have little effect on park attendance.