Marines Suspected in Zoo Ride Prank Leaving 100 Passengers Stuck Midair for Hours

Four U.S. Marines have been identified as the suspects who shook a zoo ride so hard that it malfunctioned and left passengers stuck for several hours.

A spokesperson for the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing confirmed to Newsweek that four Marines were involved in an incident that occurred at the San Diego Zoo on Saturday. The confirmation comes shortly after the four individuals were arrested by officials with the San Diego Police Department.

The four suspects were aboard the Skyfari gondola ride at the San Diego Zoo and as a prank, began to "recklessly" rock the ride back and forth, a spokesperson for the San Diego Zoo said in a statement sent to Newsweek. The rocking of the ride prompted a safety malfunction, causing it to get stuck in mid-air for over two hours. The San Diego Police Department said that there were around 100 people aboard the ride when the incident occurred.

"SDFD crews at the Zoo assisting patrons who were stuck on the Skyfari ride for about an hour. Now unstuck & patrons safely exiting gondolas on their own. Some may need medical eval. SDFD crews remaining until all are on the ground," the San Diego Fire Department tweeted on Saturday, noting in a subsequent tweet that all passengers were safely removed from the ride.

The four individuals accused of causing the ride to get stuck were arrested shortly after the incident. They were charged with suspicion of vandalism.

The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing spokesperson identified the four suspects as Sergeant Jacob Dean Bauer, 23, Lance Corporal Brayden Stone Posey, 20, Lance Corporal Marquette Alexander Williams, 21, and Corporal Brandon Gregory Cook, 21.

"We are committed to being good neighbors to the San Diego community and will continue to work with local authorities as they continue their investigation. Anyone found in violation of law or directive will be held appropriately accountable," the spokesperson said in a statement.

The statement continued, "This behavior is contrary to our core values and 3d MAW is conducting an investigation into the incident."

Jordan Gakstatter, who was visiting the zoo at the time of the incident, told NBC San Diego, "We were walking around seeing the animals and then we look up and everyone's stuck."

Another zoo visitor, Marissa Florendo, told the news station that zoo officials instructed everyone in line for the ride to leave and she noticed that dozens of riders were stuck as she was exiting the park.

In 2008, the Bronx Zoo in New York reported a similar incident when the zoo's sightseeing cable car got stuck in midair. Over 30 individuals were stuck on the ride for several hours, but no injuries were reported.