Christopher Hawley's family says they immediately knew something was wrong when the 22-year-old got off the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain ... and by the next day, he was dead.
Christopher's mom, Anne, and his brother, Alex, joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday to describe those tragic moments.
Alex tells us his brother was "red" and "distressed" when he got off the ride in June 2022 ... saying their cousin had to keep Christopher's head from hitting the concrete when he collapsed.
A popular Six Flags roller coaster linked to two deaths and recent traumatic brain injuries in California is being grounded.
A new CNN investigation reviewed records tied to the X2 coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia and found more than a dozen riders suffered serious injuries or hospitalizations over the years ... including multiple brain injuries.
Two women were hospitalized just six days apart in July after riding X2 -- and both needed emergency brain surgery.
Six Flags isn't having the best month ... because another ride has broken down, leaving people stuck in the sky.
A witness tells TMZ ... they were at Six Flags Great Escape in Queensbury, New York, on Friday when they say the Adirondack Outlaw ride had gotten stuck on its side with people still on it.
You can hear in the video -- a bystander says they were up there for at least half an hour. The clip also shows mechanics working at the tippity top of the attraction to get things fixed.
The SkyScreamer ride at Six Flags Over Georgia is living up to its name for all the wrong reasons ... passengers wanted to scream in terror while getting stuck in mid-air, roughly 260 feet above the ground.
The horrifying incident reportedly occurred on June 14 at the Six Flags amusement park in Mableton, GA, and it was partially caught on video.
Check it out ... one of the people on the ride is shooting footage from his camera phone while strapped into a gondola with a woman.
Travis Kelce's coming back for his 14th season with the Kansas City Chiefs ... but that's not his only gig for 2026 -- the NFL superstar is the new face of Six Flags!!
The amusement park company -- which joined forces with Cedar Fair in 2024 -- announced the three-time Super Bowl champ as it's newest ambassador on Thursday.
Kelce will take part in a bunch of digital content, social posts and "other fun surprises" ... somehow fitting this in with all his wedding planning and football prep.
Travis Kelce is channeling his inner kid with his latest business move -- the Kansas City Chiefs superstar loves roller coasters so much, he invested in Six Flags!!
Taylor Swift's fiancé revealed the news on Tuesday ... saying it was an opportunity he had to pounce on due to his family's countless trips to Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio growing up.
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Kelce -- who grew up in northeast Ohio -- teamed up with JANA Partners to get a piece of Six Flags ... which merged with CP's parent company, Cedar Fair, in 2024.
Stephen Colbert is going scorched earth on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ... after the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary announced he's slashing $500 million in vaccine research funding this week.
The 'Late Show' host didn't hold back Wednesday night ... joking he was about to deliver a "measured, nonpartisan response" -- then unloading on RFK Jr. with "F*** you, you 'roid-addled nepo-carnie."
Tyga let the big kid out for a night to celebrate his 35th birthday with a star-studded adventure at an amusement park ... and TMZ Hip Hop has scenes from the festivities!!!
T-Raww rented out Six Flags Magic Mountain in SoCal on Tuesday night, and he was all smiles linking with his crew, and later hit a few thrill rides for himself.
The superstar rapper later met up with birthday guests at the carnival games ... YG and his 4Hunnid crew, his day one Alexander "AE" Edwards and Bobbi Althoff all kicked it with the other partygoers.
Six Flags Mexico surely got an earful at customer service -- after a group of parkgoers were stuck in a harrowing situation amid a bout of very bad weather.
Watch the video ... the SkyScreamer ride was brought to a halt with riders hanging mid-air ... leaving them dangling high above the ground for nearly 10 minutes.
If that wasn't already terrifying enough, the breakdown occurred as torrential rain poured down on the Mexico City-based theme park.
Guests at a Six Flags in Texas were in for an unexpected surprise after attendees found themselves in a man-made, fast-moving river ... which a kid fell into, only to be saved.
Check out this video making the rounds ... it shows several guests recently getting stuck on the Roaring Rapids ride at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington. As you can see, 4 rafts were jammed in a U formation before one of the flotations began to take on water.
The situation soon escalated ... as a handful of guests climbed onto a nearby platform for safety, with a young boy following suit by jumping from his raft ... but landing in the water.
Chaos reigned at the grand opening of Six Flags Over Georgia ... with mobs of unruly teenagers fighting inside the theme park, escalating to a massive police response and an officer-involved shooting.
Cops in Georgia say there were 500 to 600 youth running amok in the park Saturday night, getting out of control and leading to a huge brawl and panic among park guests.
The huge crowd of fighting teens overwhelmed theme park security, who called police.
When cops got there, officers say they followed the group out of Six Flags onto a nearby service road ... where gunshots started ringing out.
Police say several suspects fired at officers, with cops returning fire. One person was shot, reported to be a 15-year-old ... who's said to be in critical condition.
Six Flags Over Georgia confirmed a shooting outside the grounds and told FOX 5 Atlanta ... "It is incredibly disappointing that our community is disrupted at public events throughout the region by groups of underaged youth."
The park adds ... "We won't put up with that type of activity here."
Meanwhile, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the officer-involved shooting.
Jeremy Renner continues to make a miraculous recovery from his near-death snowplow accident -- he strolled into Jimmy Kimmel's studio, fully on his own power.
The 'Avengers' star was using only a cane Monday in Hollywood, as he headed into the studio to shoot his appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
It's pretty incredible to see Jeremy using his legs like this ... remember he's only a little over 3 months removed from being completely crushed by a snowplow on New Year's Day at his Nevada home.
Jeremy's injuries included more than 30 broken bones, plus a collapsed lung and punctured lung ... just to name a few.
When he took his family to Six Flags on Good Friday, he needed a motorized scooter to get around the amusement park ... and we've previously seen him using an anti-gravity treadmill to strengthen his legs and get those muscles working again.
Jeremy's continuing his media blitz now that he's recovering at his L.A. home.
Before going on Kimmel, he described the enormity of his injuries and pain during a special interview with Diane Sawyer, which included a bone-chilling animation showing how he was hurt.
Jeremy Renner continues to amaze ... he's gone from an ever-so-close near-death experience to Six Flags ... in just a few months!
Jeremy took his fam to Six Flags on Good Friday ... and tooled around the park on a motorized scooter.
He posted the pics and video with the caption, "Leading the way Best I can Spring Break 2023!!!" ... adding, "Good Friday, made magic happen on the mountain with some of my amazing family!"
Jeremy's come back to the L.A. area where he's recovering at home ... this just three months after he was run over by a snowplow on New Year's Day. His injuries were massive ... more than 30 broken bones, a punctured liver, a collapsed lung and a lot more.
The 'Avengers' star described the pain and the enormity of the injuries to Diane Sawyer, and the animation that was created to show how he was run over is bone-chilling.
Jeremy said the snowplow began to slide, and he worried his nephew might be crushed between the plow and another vehicle, so he stepped out of the cab and put his foot on the track to look, only to fall to the ground. He believed his nephew might get crushed so he jumped back onto the track, but it was moving and sucked him under, running him over.
He looks great, and all signs point to a miraculous recovery!
Pete Davidson's love for Chase Sui Wonders is universal ... as in, he couldn't stop kissing his new girlfriend on a date to Universal Studios.
The "Bodies, Bodies, Bodies" stars hit up Universal Studios Hollywood on Thursday ... and TMZ obtained video of the two smooching on an escalator.
Pete and Chase seemed to be trying to keep their outing low-key, he was wearing a hoodie, hat and sunglasses, but they couldn't resist a little PDA between rides.
The costar couple enlisted a private guide to whisk them around the theme park -- and they picked a good day to go -- Universal's previewing its new Super Nintendo World.
Pete also went to Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey with Kaley Cuoco in August 2021, when they were filming a rom-com together, but they were only lovers on the big screen.
Kaley Cuoco and her ex, Karl Cook, insist their pending divorce is anger and animosity-free ... and she's proving it with a pretty affectionate Instagram comment.
"The Flight Attendant" star offered some public support of her estranged hubby -- who's a professional equestrian -- on a post by Traverse City Horse Shows announcing Karl won a pair of tournament events Sunday in Michigan.
Kaley commented both heart and raised hand emojis ... signaling she's still rooting for him despite their split.
As we told you ... Cuoco filed for divorce from Cook earlier this month after 3 years of marriage. The ex-couple announced the decision was made after realizing they were going in opposite directions in life, but maintain they have an "immense amount of respect and consideration for one another."
In related news ... fans are speculating that Kaley's getting close to Pete Davidson, her costar in the upcoming rom-com, "Meet Cute." The 2 were together last month at Six Flags in New Jersey, but at the time there was no indication her marriage was on the rocks.
Pete Davidson and Kaley Cuoco are starring in a new movie together, and it seems they're taking their on-set friendship into the real world ... and the latest stop is a theme park.
The two actors -- who are the starring leads in an upcoming rom-com called "Meet Cute," in which they play a couple -- were spotted Saturday afternoon at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey ... where they were hand in hand as they were about to embark on a ride.
Don't worry ... it's not what you think. They were more comforting each other as buddies rather than anything romantic. Kaley's happily married -- and Pete ... well, he's just Pete.
It's pretty obvious from this video TMZ obtained of them on the Sling Shot that they were simply calming each other's nerves as friends ... and perhaps preparing for some actual scenes for this new flick of theirs -- which is currently in production and filming right now.
It appears Pete and Kaley have hit it off as they prepare to shoot -- they've been goofing off together a lot lately, as seen in Kaley's recent IG Stories where she's filmed them palling around. Talk about getting ready for a role ... that's what we call method acting!!!
Anyway, "Meet Cute" sounds like it'll be a good one. It's about a BF/GF who are somehow able to go back into each other's past to shape their SO into the perfect partner.
In the meantime ... he's a look at what that on-screen chemistry might look like.
