Six Flags Great Adventure set for opening, but without two major roller coasters

JACKSON - When Six Flags Great Adventure opens its doors for the 2023 season, it will be without two of its main attractions for at least the first two months.

The El Toro and Medusa roller coasters will remain closed when the theme park opens on April 1, a spokeswoman for the park said.

El Toro's status isn't a surprise, as inspectors ruled the ride "structurally compromised" after a summer incident injured 14 riders, after the steel track was slightly pulled away from the wooden frame of the ride.

Jennifer Mance, a Six Flags spokeswoman, said El Toro was expected to reopen this summer.

"El Toro is one of our signature attractions, and we are working diligently toward reopening the ride this summer following testing and a full safety inspection by both internal and external experts," Mance said.

It's not clear why Medusa will remain out of commission. The roller coaster, which has been open since 1999, was rebranded back to its original name last year after years as Bizarro, a Superman-themed ride.

The entire Frontier Adventures area of the park will remain closed until Memorial Day weekend, Mance said, including the Saw Mills Log Flume — which had its own safety issues over the last few years — and the Runaway Mine Train roller coaster.

Mance declined to comment further on the reason for the closures.

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