Speed — the Ride becomes Stop — the Rescue

Sixteen people had to exit from Speed -- The Ride at the Sahara, in a rather unconventional way Thursday afternoon after the 90-second roller coaster came to an abrupt halt.

The ride had just made it through its outdoor loop when a booster mechanism with a magnetic motor failed, according to Clark County Fire Department spokesman Scott Allison.

The cars stopped and rolled backwards until coming to rest on the tracks about 25 feet off the ground.

No one was injured.

Firefighters were called about 3:30 p.m. and a ladder truck was used to get the 16 people down safely. The rescue was finished by 4:25 p.m., Allison said.

Each of the riders was checked out by paramedics, but nobody complained of any injuries, Allison said.

Ron Garrett, director of marketing and entertainment for Sahara, said the ride "did exactly what it was supposed to do."

Garrett added it was the first malfunction of the ride he has seen in his four years at the property.

The ride has been running for at least eight years, he said.