Man, daughter rescued from broken amusement ride

May 27--An unidentified man and his 5-year-old daughter had to be rescued Monday after their ride at Funzone Amusements in Farmingdale suddenly stopped, leaving them hanging upside down in an enclosed pod, six feet off the ground.

Chief Anthony Nicholes said it took volunteers from the East Farmingdale Fire Department about 30 minutes to retrieve the two from the flight-simulator ride, which is called The Max. "We got the little girl out first," he said, "and the father out about five, 10 minutes later."

He said the father, 39, and girl were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center for observation, but "there were no obvious injuries." He said three ambulances, two rescue trucks, one tactical rescue truck, two engines and four chiefs responded to the 2:44 p.m. call.

Funzone manager Glenn Taus said the fire department was called in as a precaution. "We didn't want to take a chance because of the angle they were in," Taus said of the father and daughter.

Taus said he did not think the individual ride malfunctioned. He said when the safety bar that restrains passengers is lifted, the ride automatically stops. He said the ride was put back in service after the rescue.

Nicholes said the fire marshal is investigating.