Six Flags' Jersey Devil Coaster Gets Its First Test Run

JACKSON, NJ — The Jersey Devil soon will be haunting the Pine Barrens, thrilling patrons at Six Flags Great Adventure, park officials said, as testing on the coaster slated to open this summer has begun.

The coaster was put through its first full test run with a simulated passenger load on Thursday, part of what officials with the theme park say is extensive testing by engineering and maintenance experts in preparation for opening the ride.

The engineers simulated human weight for the test run of the coaster using "water people," said Kristin Fitzgerald, a park spokeswoman.

In keeping with the Jersey Devil theme, one of the water people was nicknamed "Mother Leeds," a hat-tip to the legend says that Mother Leeds cursed her 13th child, which transformed the newborn into a snarling, flying beast that has tormented the New Jersey Pine Barrens, which include Jackson Township, for hundreds of years.

Local Jackson folklore places the devil at the Great Lake that's part of the theme park, officials said.

"Mother Leeds" was equipped with a camera to capture point-of-view video during the test run of the coaster, which is billed as the world’s tallest, fastest, and longest single-rail coaster. Drones also were used drones to capture the test run, Fitzgerald said.

The coaster reaches 13 stories, and flies along the track at up to 58 mph, carrying riders single-file through the woods over 3,000 feet of track.

Other key features of the Jersey Devil Coaster include:

• Four trains of 12 passengers each sitting low and inline style (one rider per row) with their legs straddling the monorail I-beam track;
• A climb up a towering, 130-foot lift hill;
• A steep 87-degree first drop and overbank cutback;
• Three inversions, including a 180-degree stall, raven dive, and zero-gravity roll.

Extensive ride testing, inspections, and New Jersey state certification will be completed before the first passengers board the ride. The park will announce an opening date for the coaster soon, Fitzgerald said.

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