Ejector Seat Leaves Rider Up in the Air at the Fair

A Santa Ana man received an extended ride on the Orange County Fair’s famed Ejector Seat on Sunday night, when the slingshot-like contraption hurled the rider into the air and then became stuck, leaving him dangling 125 feet up for an hour, a fair spokeswoman said.

Jose Cisneros, 27, who was rescued by Costa Mesa firefighters, said he was unhurt.

“I’m OK,” Cisneros said in Spanish. “I didn’t expect it to [leave] me up there, dangling like that. But I tried to remain calm.”

Cisneros, who visited the fair with a friend, Nancy Ochoa of Santa Ana, said he works odd jobs and just wanted to enjoy the fair.

Cisneros was rescued by firefighters who reached him with an aerial ladder and a platform at 10:30 p.m., about an hour after he became stuck. Once on the platform, Cisneros was lowered to safety. As he reached the ground, about 500 people who had been watching the rescue cheered.

Jill Lloyd, a fair spokeswoman, said officials would shut the ride down until it can be examined by safety inspectors during daylight hours today. Lloyd blamed the mishap on a jammed cable.

Cisneros’ money would be refunded, she said.

The $50 ride is billed as a “reverse bungee jump.” Two long, elastic cords, like those used in bungee jumping, hang from two 125-foot towers. The cords are attached to a pair of padded seats, which are catapulted skyward, sending riders into the air at speeds up to 65 miles per hour.

Asked if he would go on the ride again, Cisneros laughed nervously and said: “I don’t know.”