At the Empire State Fair in Uniondale, ride inspectors have safety on their minds

The Delusion, a purple and green thrill ride with room enough for 16 people and raised and lowered by a hydraulic lift, was out of order Wednesday — it's four groupings of seats at first appearing stuck high above the Empire State Fair at the Nassau Coliseum.

The scene was oddly similar to one that played out late last month at Adventureland in East Farmingdale when the Wave Twister ride malfunctioned, leaving 15 children and one adult in their seats 50 feet in the air. There was one difference.

While the Delusion was in fine working order Wednesday, it was also in a mock state of mechanical distress as inspectors checked seats, overhead safety bars and raised the ride and lowered it manually, all in the hours before the fair opened at 5 p.m.

The aim, according to a pair of inspectors from the state Department of Labor checking the Delusion, was to demonstrate how they make sure rides are safe.

"Our goal is for the people of the state of New York to enjoy their summer and have a good time," Phil Celento, a senior safety health inspector with the Labor Department told Newsday on Wednesday.

The 16 people aboard the Wave Twister were rescued by firefighters in an operation that took three hours and included the use of a cherry picker and ladder trucks to reach them.

Park officials and ride operators were attempting to lower the ride manually when firefighters from East Farmingdale and other departments arrived, according to a Newsday story.

Adventureland rides are subject to a once a year state safety inspection before operating permits are renewed. For temporary carnivals like the Empire State Fair, the rides must have renewed safety permits annually. In addition, the rides are inspected again before organizers can legally open them to the public.

"The law requires them to give us 10 days’ notice before they do a carnival," said Kevin Klug, a state safety and health inspector. "They can’t just put up their rides and hope that we’re coming. They have to give us written notice." 

Fire department officials who responded to Adventureland said the  Wave Twister's brakes apparently locked up but additional information about the precise cause of was not available. Newsday reported it did not appear the Wave Twister malfunction was connected to previous violations. Before Adventureland opened for the season, authorities said, the ride had passed an inspection, according to a Newsday story at the time.

Newsday also reported state inspectors had documented 65 safety violations for rides at the East Farmingdale amusement park since 2023, including for broken or missing straps, lap bars in disrepair and locking sensors deemed inoperable.

On Wednesday, Celento and Klug poured over the Delusion, checking thick steel bolts by hand to make sure they were tightly in place. They checked the ride's lap bars and seat belts. At one point, they raised the ride using its hydraulic lifts. They then made sure the ride could be lowered manually, in case its computer system broke down.

"When there is an incident, we go into our investigation to determine if there was any violations that may have caused it or any violations that need to be issued," Klug said.  "Then we also look not only to make sure that it’s reinspected before it’s open to the public again, but we also want to make sure if there’s anything we could do to remedy it, to make sure that it doesn’t happen again."