Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, an IT manager, technology teacher and robotics coach at an Atlanta public charter school, died Monday after falling from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. Cobb County Police identified him Tuesday. Authorities still haven't said what caused his fall.
What Police and Witnesses Say
Around 4 p.m. Monday, police found a man beneath a roller coaster, "unresponsive and not breathing." The Cobb County Police Department's Major Crimes Unit said preliminary information from witness and employee interviews "indicates Kariem was ejected from the ride and struck other patrons before falling beneath the attraction." Police didn't name the ride. They said several people were injured but didn't specify how many or describe their conditions.
Witnesses filled in the gaps. "He fell and hit the car three different times" before landing on the roof of a haunted house attraction below, one witness told CNN affiliate WXIA. Another said the falling man appeared in his souvenir ride photo. CiCi Nelson, who was in line for the Goliath, told CNN a cart pulled up with an empty seat and riders in hysterics. The safety bar on the empty seat looked loose, she said, while a young passenger appeared covered in blood. One man was "freaking out, saying someone fell off."
The Restraint Question
The Goliath is a hypercoaster that hits 70 mph and 200 feet, with a 170-foot first drop and a 540-degree spiral, according to the Six Flags website. Brian Avery, a University of Florida professor who specializes in ride safety and risk management, said the manufacturer, Swiss firm Bolliger & Mabillard, has a "stellar" safety record. But he pointed to a design concern: the Goliath uses a waist restraint without an over-the-shoulder harness, a secondary restraint he believes people should consider.
"If you have your primary fail, what are you left with? Yeah, nothing," Avery said. "And it's an impossible feat to stay contained if it did fail, because of the forces, the speed."
Bolliger & Mabillard called the accident "tragic" and said it won't comment further "until we have a better understanding of what transpired."
Who Inspects the Rides
Six Flags says every ride "undergoes extensive inspection and maintenance procedures." The company conducts daily park inspections and regular evaluations by third parties, including state ride inspectors, insurance inspectors and engineering experts. The Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, which oversees inspections of amusement and carnival rides, has opened its own investigation to ensure "full compliance with all applicable policies and procedures."
At least 10 similar rides across six parks in the US and Canada have temporarily closed, including a ride at a former Six Flags park in Quebec. Several are hypercoasters. Six Flags said it closed similar coasters as a precaution and is cooperating with authorities.
The Goliath stays closed. The park itself reopens Friday, as scheduled.
The Man Behind the Headline
Kariem worked more than 12 years at Wesley International Academy, a public charter school in Atlanta. Executive Director Jason Marshall said the community is "devastated by the loss of Hassan Kariem," calling him a "beloved colleague, friend, and integral part of the Wesley family." Atlanta Public Schools called him a "cherished member" of the school.
Former student Soledad Gomez said he "never got mad at us" and was "always patient." He inspired her to pursue elementary education. Her brother Juan Pablo Gomez said Kariem's class sparked his interest in information technology, now his major.
Kariem's sister, Andrea Clark, 35, told the New York Post he had been in remission from cancer since 2015, 11 years as of 2026, and had survived a car fire weeks earlier. "He had other issues, but he's healthy, he was able-bodied. I don't understand it," she said. He worked to provide for his family and helped raise his fiancée's daughter, whom he'd known since she was 3.
Clark condemned the circulation of images of her brother's final moments and urged people to stop sharing them. "That's just evil," she said. "It's tragic, and I feel like we've gone too far as a society."
Families who bought tickets are left with the same question Clark asked: how does a healthy man fall from a ride that inspectors, insurers and engineers all certify?