Firefighters had to meticulously remove one child at a time as they sat with their legs dangling, confined to their seats on the Wave Twister ride at Adventureland in Farmingdale.
Witnesses say the ride, which climbs to over 50 feet in the air, got stuck before the park closed at 8 p.m. Many of the passengers were stuck up there for more than two hours - some for even longer.
There was a big emergency response and ambulances were on standby for paramedics to check the children after they were rescued. Firefighters used ladders and harnesses to guide the kids down from the ride.
Wave Twister is manufactured by Res Rides and is fairly new. It is branded the first of its kind in the world, with two 10-passenger spinning gondolas that sweep along an L-shaped figure-eight track. Riders as small as 36 inches can ride with an adult.
Some parents used an Apple Watch to communicate with their child as they were waiting to be rescued.
This was not the first time the ride has had issues - according to what at least one other parent tells Eyewitness News, their child was briefly stuck earlier on Friday. It is also not the first time the amusement park has had issues - it was much more serious in 2005 when two people were killed in the same week.
An Adventureland Park Spokesman released a statement on Friday night saying,
"For more than 60 years, Adventureland has enjoyed a proud record of safety and guest satisfaction. We understand the concern of the riders and their families who were involved today, and we will be working with our ride consultants to fully assess what happened. Until further review that ride will not be in service. We appreciate the dedication of the many first responder departments who skillfully assisted in getting our guests off the ride."