“Could this have been prevented?” That is the question Joshua Nelson, the brother-in-law of 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, has put to reporters after Kariem fell to his death from the Goliath coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.
Kariem, an IT manager, technology teacher and robotics coach at Wesley International Academy in Atlanta, was ejected from the ride on Monday 12 October 2026, shortly before 4pm local time. He had come to the park with his wife and family to celebrate his niece’s 13th birthday. The niece was sitting next to him when he was thrown from the car.
Four other riders were injured.
“This is my favorite ride”
Nelson, speaking to reporters days after the accident, described what his daughter saw from the seat beside Kariem.
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“His last words were to my daughter, and they were, ‘This is my favorite ride. I’m so excited to be here.’”
“He went up, he went down, went up, down, and the third or fourth time it happened, the latch came undone, and that’s when he fell out.”
Witnesses on the ride and in the queue described seeing Kariem struck by the car before he was flung clear.
“He fell and hit the car three different times,” one woman said.
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Another rider, Nicholas Mendenhall, said: “He came up out of his car, he was in his seat, and went forward and just came down headfirst.”
Investigation led by Cobb County and the state
The Cobb County Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit and Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King are leading the investigation. King called it one of the most serious inquiries his office has handled recently. Investigators are examining maintenance records, restraint components and ride data from the 200-foot hypercoaster.
No cause has been publicly established. Six Flags said in a statement it was “deeply saddened by the guest incident” and extended “heartfelt condolences” to Kariem’s family.
Six Flags Over Georgia reopened on Friday 16 October for Fright Fest, with Goliath closed indefinitely. The company temporarily closed around 10 similar coasters at other parks across the US and Canada as a precaution.
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Kelce’s $200m stake under a different kind of scrutiny
Travis Kelce teamed up with activist hedge fund JANA Partners in October 2025 to take a roughly 9% stake in Six Flags Entertainment, a position disclosed on 21 October 2025 and valued at around $200m. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end was named a Six Flags brand ambassador in March 2026, and JANA pushed the company’s board in September 2026 to explore a sale.
“The chance to help make Six Flags special for the next generation is one I couldn’t pass up,” Kelce said when the stake was announced.
The accident has triggered a separate line of pressure on the company. Six Flags shares fell 14.4% on 13 October 2026, the day after Kariem’s death, and New York law firm Bleichmar Fonti & Auld announced an investigation into whether the company committed securities fraud with its public statements “about its focus on safety, maintenance, and ride reliability.” The investigation targets Six Flags corporate leadership. Kelce is not named.
Goliath has no reopening date.
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