SANTA CRUZ — An unruly Stockton teenager allegedly vandalized the Haunted Castle, a ride that debuted at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in June, causing the new attraction to briefly close for repairs, officials said.
Police said the 16-year-old boy was on the ride Saturday night when he allegedly tugged on a prop — a cloth-covered table — dragging it into the tracks. The car behind the teen's struck the table, then was rear-ended by a third car.
No one was injured, but the collisions bent the tracks the cars travel on and severed electrical cables, according to Santa Cruz Deputy Police Chief Rick Martinez.
With help from Boardwalk security officers and surveillance camera footage, police identified the Stockton teen as the possible culprit and arrested him. He was booked into Juvenile Hall on suspicion of vandalism causing more than $5,000 damage, according to police.
"It just trashed the ride," Martinez said. "It pulls their new ride out of commission in the middle of summer."
Martinez estimated the ride could be out of commission for about two weeks, but it actually reopened Sunday afternoon, according to Boardwalk spokesman Kris Reyes.
The Haunted Castle revamp, which began last fall, cost the Boardwalk $9 million. Single-ride tickets for the new attraction are $5 and about 5,000 people had been experiencing the ride daily until it was damaged Saturday.
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This really angers me... as always, thanks for reading!
A nice article on the LA Times talks about the Boardwalk's changes for next year. Included in these changes are the 100th anniversary of the Carousel, and a new drop ride replacing the Freefall Moser ride down by the Cave Train Adventure. It will be replaced by a new 34 foot drop ride. Visit the page below to get to the LA Times link:
That's all for now!
