Jersey Devil, at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, currently holds the title of the tallest, fastest, and longest single-rail* roller coaster in the world.
The following written content from Make Davis
On any sunny day, the rumbles of roller coasters can be heard ripping across Six Flags Great Adventure.
But on Thursday, the sound had a new, different pitch, as eager parkgoers strapped into the Jersey Devil Coaster for the first time, straddling the monorail on which the cars balance for 3,000 feet of track and nervously tapping their toes as the cars started cranking up a 130-foot hill.
And then, one by one, they screamed their heads off on the way back down.
“It is fantastic. It is so much fun. That first drop on it is amazing,” said Monmouth Beach resident Angelica Shuhala, smiling ear to ear as she ran down the ramp after her first time on the Jersey Devil Coaster.
“I had a blast. I can’t wait to go again,” she said, before taking off — without a second thought — and running up to ride it one more time.
After over a year of delays during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jersey Devil Coaster will open for the general public on Sunday.
The roller coaster, billed as the tallest, longest and fastest single-rail coaster in the world, hurtles parkgoers across 3,000 feet of track, reaching speeds of up to 58 mph as the cars — with 12 riders arranged single-file — drop 130 feet at an acute 87-degree angle.
But in a park with a history of iconic roller coasters, what makes the Jersey Devil Coaster stand out isn’t the loops, the hairpin turns or corkscrew rolls. The most unique part of the ride is the track itself — one smooth, orange monorail that leaves riders feeling closer to a roller coaster than they’ve ever felt before, virtually straddling the track from beginning to end.
“Your legs actually straddle the rail,” said Bret Ulozas, the New Jersey representative to American Coaster Enthusiasts, a nationwide group of roller coaster fans and aficionados. “It’s as close as you’re ever going to get to being on a roller coaster track. You’re really just a part of the ride.”
“You don’t see coasters that are a single rail. Riding one of these things is like riding no other coaster you’ve ever been on,” said Michael Reitz, an engineer with Six Flags. “And I think it just adds to this feeling of openness all around you.”
The ride is named after the Garden State’s favorite cryptid, rumored to haunt the Pine Barrens — literally next door to the park.
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Unlike most of the park’s biggest rides, which are themed after DC Comics characters like Batman and Green Lantern, the Jersey Devil Coaster is a throwback to rides from the park’s peak of roller coaster innovation — closer in spirit to Nitro or El Toro than The Joker or Cyborg Cyber Spin.
Guests are greeted by a huge, hulking statue of a devil-like figure peering over the queues that will be packed to the brim once the ride opens.
Myths and legends of the Jersey Devil are printed on posters all along the line, setting the mood along the screams of riders and the unmistakable sound of a roller coaster whizzing by.
The Jersey Devil Coaster is the park’s first thrill ride since Wonder Woman: Lasso of Truth opened in 2018, and its first roller coaster since The Joker premiered in 2016. It was first announced in August 2019, expecting to open for summer 2020.
But construction on the ride was halted in early 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic reached New Jersey. While the park reopened to a limited number of guests later in the year, the Jersey Devil Coaster wasn’t ready. Read more from APP
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