16 People Rescued After Being Stranded on Malfunctioning Gondola Ride at SeaWorld San Diego

More than a dozen people were rescued Monday night after a SeaWorld San Diego skyride malfunctioned, leaving them stranded above Mission Bay.

Sixteen people, including seven juveniles, were trapped around 7:20 p.m. local time on the Bayside Skyride after a large gust of wind tripped a circuit breaker, police toldFox 5 San Diego.

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department tracked its progress in rescuing the riders on Twitter, and noted that crews were lowering those trapped into harnesses and eventually into San Diego Lifeguard boats.

“Something like this, we want to be slow and methodical. A fall from that distance can be catastrophic,” SDFD Battalion Chief Robert Logan toldNBC San Diego.

In a statement to PEOPLE, SeaWorld said it would inspect the ride before re-opening it.

“Guest safety is our top priority. Once our guests are cared for, we will conduct a thorough inspection of the ride prior to re-opening,” the statement read. “We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused the guests.”

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Jonathan Sherr told the outlet he was on the Bayside Skyride with his teenage son when wind began aggressively rocking their gondola.

“I looked up at the cable, and right when I was looking up at the cable shaking violently, we stopped,” he said to NBC San Diego. “Watching the cable shake violently was a pretty daunting thing … I won’t be coming back (to SeaWorld).”

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department did not immediately return PEOPLE’s requests for comment.

source: people.com