Star Jet was a

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

roller coaster A roller coaster is a type of list of amusement rides, amusement ride employing a form of elevated Railway track, railroad track that carries passengers on a roller coaster train, train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements, usua ...

that operated at Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey from 2002 until it was swept into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...

in 2012.

Construction and early operation

Star Jet was a replacement for the similarly-named Jet Star roller coaster, which operated on Casino Pier from 1970 until 2000. The similarity in names between the Star Jet and its predecessor has resulted in Star Jet being frequently misidentified in the media as Jet Star, and even misidentified on Casino Pier's own website following Hurricane Sandy.

Incidents

In July 2008, a Bulgarian student worker was struck and killed by a moving coaster train. The worker had entered a restricted area while retrieving a park patron's lost hat.

Hurricane Sandy

On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy came on shore, causing considerable damage along the Atlantic Coast, particularly along the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

and

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

shores. The storm caused the collapse of a large section of Casino Pier, dumping Star Jet into the

and damaging several other rides. Despite being thrown into the ocean, the structure of the Star Jet remained largely intact. Images of the coaster, now standing amid the surf, became emblematic of the immense destruction that the hurricane had dealt out along the coast. On January 8, 2013, a man, wanting to raise awareness for Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts, climbed the derelict structure of the Star Jet and placed a United States flag at the top of the coaster before being arrested by police. The coaster was torn down and removed from the ocean on May 14, 2013 starting just after noon and immediately after a brief visit by New Jersey Governor

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...

and

Prince Harry Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. As the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, he is fifth in the line of succession to ...

. Star Jet's replacement,

Hydrus Hydrus is a small constellation in the deep Southern Celestial Hemisphere, southern sky. It was one of twelve constellations created by Petrus Plancius from the observations of Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman and it first ap ...

, opened in May 2017. However, the replacement coaster opened on the beach instead of the pier to protect it from future storms.

References

External links

*{{Commons category-inline Seaside Heights, New Jersey Former roller coasters in New Jersey Buildings and structures demolished in 2013