An Interview with an Action Park Employee
Posted on 21. Feb, 2006 by George Koroneos in Interviews
In 1996, someone had the bright idea to have the second annual Warped Tour at Action Park. For the price of admission ($46) music fans and amusement park aficionados got a day-pass to Action Park and access to the show (featuring Face To Face, CIV and Down By Law). While walking through the park it was easy to see just how dangerous the place really was. Kids were hitting the sides of rides and scraping their arms, the water was vile and even the bands were too disgusted to go on the rides (except for NoFX and Blink 182, who were spotted on at least two water slides). Later that year, at school, I sat behind a guy who bragged about his summer job at said park. He talked about all the shady stuff that went down. Lucky for me he wasn’t opposed to talking on tape.
What’s with the loop-de-loop water slide? It’s the one that’s just been sitting there, under the rubble, for years. Rumor has it someone died in it.
Actually, I think they sent a dummy down, and it came out in pieces. A leg came out, and a little bit later a head came rolling down. So they never actually used it. No human has ever been down there.
The Alpine Slides- when you get on, they show you pictures of people with horrible injuries. Why do they still exist?
You see people come out of there with these huge pink burn marks going down the side of their bodies… on their face, arms, and legs. It happens daily… you see people get scarred for life on that goddam ride. I guess the pictures are there to scare the hell out of you so you’re not a retard.
The jet thing where you fly in the air–rumors are floating around that someone got killed. Any truth?
I have no comment on that.
Why is the water cold and green?
I don’t know man. The water’s discolored, because of the gasoline content in most of it. That’s a hundred percent accurate. I would definitely not drink it. I’m sure there’s a lot of urine and whatever else goes into that water. It’s not fresh; I believe it’s recycled water.
The Tarzan Swing–why does this exist, knowing people can get killed?
Nobody’s ever died on the Tarzan Swing, so it’s perfectly safe… aside from the fact that you could fall on a rock.
Who thought up the idea for visitors to cross a major state road to get from the parking lot?
Ahem, there is a foot bridge for all pedestrians to use while crossing Route 94. Action Park does advise that you use the foot bridge at all times when crossing the main road, and they are not responsible for any injuries you may sustain during your stay at Action Park.
Why so many Canadians in Speedos?
It’s not so much the Canadians, it’s the Yugoslavians you have to worry about, and the overweight Spanish and Italian men with their giant genitalia hanging out.
The Bumper Boats–why do they blow?
I don’t know. I’ve never actually seen the bumper boats in use, but I have seen them, they do exist.
What exactly is your detailed job at Action Park?
I work at the Super Go-Karts, thank you. I pretty much walk around, making sure no one dies, and if they do die, to take their bodies away as soon as possible, and bring them up to first aid.
Has anyone ever died at Action Park?
I have witnessed a person who had all their ribs smashed, and had to put them on a back board, and send them off on a medi-vac. I’ve seen a couple of punctured lungs. Someone was paralyzed for a few seconds, but I have never seen a death. However, I heard that someone died over the summer, at Waterworld. On Surf Hill, you go down a long tube, and hit a pool of water, but when you hit the pool of water you always go flying off into a wall or something. I heard that one time this person just wouldn’t get up. All of a sudden it was dead silent, no one would say anything, and some one started calling “Code Violet†(A.P. Terminology for Death). So there is a chance that she may have died.
How can you stop the little thing called love?
You can’t stop love man it just keeps on going.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Action Park, open from Memorial Day to Labor Day Weekend, call in advance for large and group discount prices, and have a nice summer.
Questions by Gregg Gethard
***For more information on the hell-hole known as Action Park check out this story at The Freezer Box.***
Ed Youmans
Dec 28th, 2006
I worked at Action Park and Vernon Valley for 10 years and I managed operations at Action Park from 1990 until I moved to Lake Tahoe in 1995.
Just a couple of facts for your article on Action Park:
1. The loop waterslide the “Cannonball Loop” worked fine, never had a dummy slid through it, and was open to the public during the summer of 1993. The only reason it didn’t continue to operate was that we found it almost impossible to keep the slippery matting firmly laminated inside the pipe – water always got in between and we kept having to close the ride to repair it. No one ever died on this ride – in fact, there was never an injury.
2. No one ever died on the “jet thing where you fly in the air”. The “Aerodium’s” worst injury was a broken ankle.
3. Action Park EMT’s used “code red” to indicate a life-threatening situation, not “code violet”. I cannot speak to the years before or after I was the operations manager but between the years 1990 and 1995 no one at Action Park died of anything other than natural causes (ie. heart attack, aneurism, allergic anaphalactic shock, etc.)
The whole “dangerous park” thing was probably more of a mystique than a reality. The fact is, more people die at Great Adventure every year than ever did at Action Park. It was generally the feeling of the park ownership that the “deadly image” sold tickets. Judging by what’s happened to the place since Intrawest “cleaned it up”, I’d say they were right.
Just my $.02
- Ed Youmans
Marista
Apr 12th, 2007
There were deaths recorded in the hospital from Action Park. That is a fact. It was also in the papers about the injuries that occurred. I personally know someone that WAS injured due to a slide at the park.
VICKI
Jun 13th, 2007
Loved your interview with past action park employee, as for the other “clown†he probably was paid off to give his untrue statements. As being an action park lover back in the day, many a death did occur. This is what all old timers of the park want to remember, for we experienced some of the best outlandish rides that sad to say some never will! It was great to leave the park all banged up, you knew you got your dollars worth.
Recently my brother and i returned to the new park-mountaincreek, and were sadly disappointed. The only real thrill we got was to trespass over to what was once called motorworld- where we proceeded to get chaby a black bear! Now that’s what i call action!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep the memory alive-spread the word of once what was, maybe some crazy bastards with money will create what once was!Loved your interview with past action park employee, as for the other “clown†he probably was paid off to give his untrue statements. As being an action park lover back in the day, many a death did occur. This is what all old timers of the park want to remember, for we experienced some of the best outlandish rides that sad to say some never will! It was great to leave the park all banged up, you knew you got your dollars worth.
Recently my brother and i returned to the new park-mountaincreek, and were sadly disappointed. The only real thrill we got was to trespass over to what was once called motorworld- where we proceeded to get chaby a black bear! Now that’s what i call action!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep the memory alive-spread the word of once what was, maybe some crazy bastards with money will create what once was!!!!!!!!!!!!- i know i would!

 vicki-long island, n.y.
!!!!!!!!!!!- i know i would!
 vicki-long island, n.y.
George Koroneos
Jun 14th, 2007
You guys all rock.
Jeff
Sep 18th, 2007
Does anyone know who or what company made the indy cars(lola cars) at action park?
Lewis Pinkerton
Sep 28th, 2007
The Cannonball Run slide 360 was opened/used. I was insane enough to shoot down this tube..ONCE!! It was July 1995…No injuries, with the exception of a slight headache and strained back muscle. It was pitch black in there, thus no bracing yourself for the loop; it just happens. You were weighed, hosed down with icy-cold water and off you went.
Julie
Apr 1st, 2008
I wish I went to this park back in its hayday! it looked awesome yo!
Phil
May 7th, 2008
Security had its hands full with fights daily and other calls that New york City Police would normally go to.
JerseyGrlQTee
Jun 27th, 2008
Lets just say I went to Action Park MANY times from 1983 to 1989 (I had family who worked in the offices)…All the stories you heard were true, First off the employees who ran these rides, who were mainly teenagers, were all high on drugs, drunk or both… (one even offered my older sister a “LINE”! I will never forget that cause I had no idea what a LINE was!) The Canonball slide was crazy and yes they DID send a dummy through it, (My uncle witnessed this and the dummy came out without a head and arms…They kept that canonball slide open a few times over the years..My brother went on it and cried, then puked when he got out… I got so mangled on the Alpine Slide, and the spit from the people on the ski lift whoch is how you got up to the ride, made the slide so slippery!!! UGH! 89 was my last visit because I almost drowned in the wave pool, I was taken to the nearby Hospital Emergency room so since that very day, I am still afraid of water & waves.
JeffJingy
Jun 27th, 2008
I was about 13 it was around 85 and I went on the Canonball slide when I came out, I was F*cked up! I felt high and confused and yeah felt like puking, then they had these crazy beer stands everywhere and I remember asking my Dad if I can have a beer, he allowed me 1 beer and I thought I was the sh*t! My dad got wasted at those little beer stands (no ID required) and was swinging from that Tarzan rope into a lake of green sh*t like a maniac while my mom held her head in shame. That Alpine slide was awesome yet dangerous, I felt like I was airborne going down that death trap..I saw like 3 people that day with Rags of blood over their bodies…the place was a Damn Free-For-All for anyone to risk their life… I also saw a ton of drugs mainly pot that the workers would smoke right out in the open and ocassionaly some coke was snorted at the top of those slides..the workers would be congregating with their friends instead of watching the people, I also saw a few people “fondling” each other while a cute little 7 year old would be swimming around them… the place was nuts and dont let anyone tell you differenly!!! (I am not lying or exagerating, although the 80’s was a crazy era)
truth
Jul 25th, 2008
Ed Youmans and the interviewee are full of shit
bunch of liars
RIP all the dead dudes!!!!
Dan
Dec 28th, 2008
The Loop… Yeah I really rode it… and when I say that I really mean it. I remember the stuffiness of inside the slide.
I remember the little area at the top of the slide with verry LITTLE waterflow. I mean… we are talking like a little more than drops of water.
I remember… just staring into the darkness.
Sorry I can bot expand on this anymore… But… The experience is BEYOND words. And I am getting just too scared talking about it.
Looking at the slide… I thought it was a… I don’t know but it was scary.
If anyone else can comment on how much the waterslide cost and the company details that would be great!
Dan
Dec 28th, 2008
Oh yeah… And if you are wondering why I rode it… I really don’t know… But… I will regret that decision for Years to come.
As to say about the looping waterslides of today… I have ridden one… but the thing is I was not scared because it wasn’t even a loop!!?!!? It was like a little curve that is all.
What I knw is that they will never create a waterslide like the Cannonball Loop. That word just makes me more and more scared each time.
Sandra
Jan 4th, 2009
I worked there just one summer and I worked at the top of the bungee tower the first time it opened! Best friggin’ job I ever had! I was never stoned or drunk (during work hours) And I remember Ed Youmans when I worked there in the winter time (2 winter seasons back in 89-91′) on the lifts, his accounts of deaths, questionable, but he was a pretty cool dude to work with as well. I must say that I was never too stupid to go on the alpine slide or any of the other water rides, due to the lack of swimming capabilities of the others in the pool, but I really loved working there. Sad to see such a stiff ass park there now!
Buzzkill2006
Mar 24th, 2009
I may be a PA boy but for 7 years I worked for a traveling carnival that just happened to play at a horse show and fair in Sussex. The first year there we heard about a mad house called action park and had to go. We made it a point to go every year we played there after that. I fell in love with Action park and even after moving out west I tried to follow the park via the internet. This is what I know. Most of the people running those rides were indeed a bunch of stoners and did not seem to give a shit about anything. We were a motley bunch of carnies and we were shocked by these people. Clean cut looking little dopers! True maybe that was not every ones M.O. but it sounds up what seemed to be most of them. Motor world was a hells mess. The smell of gasoline and busted up rides are my memories of motor world. The guys running the go carts stand out the most. Talk about not giving a shit! The thing that still makes me laugh is the fuel pumps right at the platform were riders got in the carts and the guys filling the running carts with the riders in them waiting their turn on the track. It’s amazing no one was ever burned to death! One of the operators was fueling the cart in front of me when one of the guys at the other end of the platform called to him. The dude tossed the pump nozzle down on the ground next to the pump, never put the cap back on the go cart tank and went over to the other guy. Minutes later we were all racing around the track, a mist of gasoline blowing off the back of the dudes cart with no cap. I don’t know about test dummies but YES!! We went on the Cannon Ball Loop! The first two times we were there it was closed. We had heard the people were killed rumor and thought. Yeah I can see that. The third time we were there it was open for biz and sure as hell we were not missing out! A quick weigh in, a quick “this is how you need to keep your body” run down and a quick spray down with ice cold water from a green garden hose, a sign from the dude at the landing pool that the last victim had been spit out and you were off. It was like staring into a black hole of death. Then you were in it. Tight and pitch dark. Snap!! You hit the loop without warning and yes there was little to no water at the top but then again how could there be? It was all over before you knew it and you plopped out into the little splash pool at the end. I did feel a little sick and dazed when I stood up but over all it was a rush and a half!! I was amazed something like this was aloud to exist. The worst part was almost busting my ankle when I stepped out of the splash pool since most of the ground had been washed away from along side the concrete basin, by mountain run off I would guess. Its true there are only 6 deaths on record at Action Park (look it up, it’s true) (oh and none of those were on the Cannon Ball Loop) but the injuries are mind boggling and those are just the recorded ones. I had never spent the day there were I did not see one poor drunk sucker after the next go zipping by strapped to a back board on the little golf cart first aid mobile. And yes you did see the bloodied people walking about from time to time. Even 3 of our crew feel victim over the years. One would loose a big toe nail on one of the green hill side water slides, another would fall face first down the rock embankment of the make shift parking lot poorly carved out of the mountain face down on the Motor world side, And I myself on the Colorado River Ride. Yeah it was my own fault. I jumped out at the end just as the tube went down the last slope into the landing pool. Hey it looked like a padded liner. Maybe it was but it sure as hell felt like concrete to me. And lets not forget the drunk people every place you went. One of my fondest memories of Water world was waiting in line at the bottom of the CRR to lug our big ass tube back to the top of the Mt. As we waited in the wooded area for our turn to grab a tube there was a guy and two girls off to the side of the line. They were talking to each other in I think German and making out hot and heavy. It got to the point were the one girls top was off and the guy and the first girl both had there hands down her bikini bottom and she was moaning like it was a porno movie. There may have been kids around. Not really sure my attention was elsewhere. This was in plane site of the dude who was lifting the rope to let each group past for there tube and he did not even bat and eye. God I miss action park!!! It was like going into combat and you loved it. The place that’s there now is a sad, stiff ass down sized version of what once was. Sad really. Rest In Peace the fallen few and LONG LIVE ACTION PARK!!!!!!!!!!!
Amazed
Mar 28th, 2009
Cannonball loop. I can verify that the reopening of the cannonball loop in 1994. The lining was redone by a couple of high school dropout types so you know the work in there must’ve been solid.
It stayed opened for less than 1 day that year. A decent number of kids went down and came out the other end like they just came out of an industrial dryer. One kid at the bottom who could barely stand yelled back to the top to his friend not to do it.
Finally about halfway through the day, a piece of the interior lining peeled up. The next poor bastard that went down got near the bottom of the loop when his feet hit the peeled up liner. That made him come to an immediate stop and broke both his knees. There was the end of the cannonball loop for 1994. Not sure if it ever opened again.
Also know of story of new ride they enlisted a couple other high school drop out types to build. I guess they were selected b/c they had little to no understanding of the concepts of gravity, physics, friction, etc. They built a big monstrosity alongside the old Surf Hill (another injury hot spot). Once it was built, they paid some workers $50 or $100 to test it. (along with signing something to waive all injury liability of course). After a couple test runs and messing up a handful of kids, the ride was never opened.
dan
May 9th, 2009
action park was the greatest loved that place went 4 years in a row i was 18. went with my girl friend 1st 2 years then my best friend thelast 2 years that place was the best started going in 1986 and fell in love with the indy cars cost 2 dollors a lap and well worth it i remember the secound year i went on the indy cars i must of got one of the fast ones because when i took off the wheel peeled out and was such a adjenaline rush i had 20 ticket (40 bucks) and i was fliyng,.the6 lap some guy hit a cone and pushed into the middle of the track the rules where if you hit a cone or touched a tire on the yellow line you where out and wouldnt get a refund so i stopped got out of the car and moved the cone when i got back they tryed to boot me from the ride i told them i didnt want to hit the cone and i got out and moved it (stupid now i think of it lol)they allmost booted me when one of them said it wasnt me and they let me finish . i tore that track up dam i miss that place i also went on the aro ride that was a blast. also to all the drugs there,hey it was the 80’s earlly 90’s best amusment park in the histery othe world bye action park and ty
dan
May 9th, 2009
also married the girlfriend we have 2 kids and its 23 years latter
njkid
Jan 10th, 2010
i went to action park regularly from 1979-1986, then only a few times in the late 80’s/early 90’s.
i remember the skatepark. i remember when the bumper boats worked. and when the loop waterslide was built, though b y my mememry that was mid 80’s, not the 90’s.
i was too scared to ever try it. i remember seeing one person go down, not come out, and they pulled them our of the hatch at the bottom of the loop. i was all hell noooo.
i got injured on all of the old concrete water/tubes slides, pretty much every time i went on them.
i had heard someone died on the alpine slide, on the kayak rides, i heard of a few people drowning in the wave pool, and someone on surf hill.
anyway that place was the most crazy awesome park to have ever existed. the runoff water pool were freeezing cold. guys were drunk all the time. ( i was too young to drink except for the last time i went) they used to do a big octoberfest party.
i went skiing there in the winter as well.
oh, and they had those roller tracks for skiing in the summer. they sent you up the left on the far left ( the white lift?) so you went down a crazy steep hill without the softness of snow. it was fun, but stupid dangerous.
the go carts and those speedboats, and the tennis ball shooting tanks were the best. there was a dune buggy ride too.
man, that shit would never fly today.
getting banged up at action park was like a right of passage for jersey kids growing up in the 80’s.
great memories.