Star Jet
{{Short description|Roller coaster at Casino Pier in New Jersey, U.S.}}
{{Infobox roller coaster
| name = Star Jet
| logo =
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| image = Superstorm Sandy damage in Seaside Heights New Jersey - Star Jet 1.jpg
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| caption = Star Jet sitting in the Atlantic Ocean after Hurricane Sandy
| previousnames =
| location = Casino Pier
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| coordinates = {{Coords|39.9428|-74.0683|display=title,inline}}
| status = Removed
| opened = {{Start date|2002}}
| soft_opened =
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| closed = {{End date|2012|10|29}}
| cost =
| previousattraction = Jet Star
| replacement = Hydrus
| type = Steel
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| manufacturer = E&F Miler Industries
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| designer =
| model = Hi-Miler
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| height_ft = 52
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| restriction_in = 42
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| trains = 3
| carspertrain = 3
| rowspercar = 1
| ridersperrow = 2
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| rcdb_number = 1477
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Star Jet{{cite web |url=http://www.casinopiernj.com:80/pier/rides.html |title=Casino Pier Rides |website=Casino Pier |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029083113/http://www.casinopiernj.com/pier/rides.html |archive-date=October 29, 2012 |url-status=dead }} was a steel roller coaster that operated at Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey from 2002 until it was swept into the Atlantic Ocean by Hurricane Sandy 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.{{cite RCDB |coaster_name=Jet Star |location=Casino Pier |rcdb_number=344 |accessdate=June 1, 2017 |url=https://rcdb.com/344.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719084736/https://rcdb.com/344.htm| archive-date=2017-07-19}} 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,{{cite RCDB |coaster_name=Star Jet |location=Casino Pier |rcdb_number=1477 |accessdate=June 1, 2017 |url=https://rcdb.com/1477.htm}} and even misidentified on Casino Pier's own website following Hurricane Sandy.{{cite web|title=History Timeline |url=https://casinopiernj.com/history |website=Casino Pier & Breakwater Beach |access-date=10 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719091212/https://casinopiernj.com/history/ |archive-date=2017-07-19 }}
=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.{{cite news |last=Spoto |first=MaryAnn |date=July 17, 2008 |title=Seaside Heights roller-coaster worker dies from injuries |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/the_bulgarian_student_hit_by.html |work=NJ.com |access-date=May 31, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616233533/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/the_bulgarian_student_hit_by.html| archive-date=2010-06-16 }}
Hurricane Sandy
File:United States Army photo of Hurricane Sandy Damage at Casino Pier.jpg
On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy came on shore, causing considerable damage along the Atlantic Coast, particularly along the New York and New Jersey shores. The storm caused the collapse of a large section of Casino Pier, dumping Star Jet into the Atlantic Ocean and damaging several other rides.{{cite magazine |last=Katz |first=Andrew |date=November 14, 2012 |title=The Roller Coaster and the Sea: How a Jersey Shore Town is Picking Up the Pieces After Sandy |url=https://nation.time.com/2012/11/14/the-roller-coaster-and-the-sea-how-a-jersey-shore-town-is-picking-up-the-pieces-after-sandy/ |magazine=Time |location=Seaside Heights, NJ |access-date=June 1, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719092253/http://nation.time.com/2012/11/14/the-roller-coaster-and-the-sea-how-a-jersey-shore-town-is-picking-up-the-pieces-after-sandy/ |archive-date=2017-07-19 }}
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.{{cite news |last=Di Ionno |first=Mark |date=May 15, 2013 |title=Seaside Heights roller coaster, symbol of Sandy, ends its ride in the sea |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/05/seaside_heights_roller_coaster_3.html |work=NJ.com |location=Seaside Heights, NJ |access-date=June 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719092650/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/05/seaside_heights_roller_coaster_3.html |archive-date=2017-07-19 }} 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.{{cite news |author= |title=Man climbs Seaside Heights roller coaster, unfurls American flag |url=http://www.nj.com/ocean/index.ssf/2013/01/man_climbs_seaside_roller_coaster_unfurls_american_flag.html |work=NJ.com |agency=Associated Press |date=January 8, 2013 |access-date=May 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719093139/http://www.nj.com/ocean/index.ssf/2013/01/man_climbs_seaside_roller_coaster_unfurls_american_flag.html |archive-date=2017-07-19 }} 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 and Prince Harry.{{cite news |author= |title=Photos of Jet Star Roller Coaster Demolition in Seaside Heights, NJ |url=http://nj1015.com/photos-of-jet-star-roller-coaster-demolition-in-seaside-heights-nj/ |work=New Jersey 101.5 |date= May 14, 2013 |access-date=May 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719094608/http://nj1015.com/photos-of-jet-star-roller-coaster-demolition-in-seaside-heights-nj/ |archive-date=2017-07-19 }}
Star Jet's replacement, Hydrus, opened in May 2017.{{cite news |last=Corasaniti |first=Nick |date=May 26, 2017 |title=A Shiny New Ride Above the Sand at the Jersey Shore |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/26/nyregion/jersey-shore-roller-coaster-hydrus.html |work=New York Times |location=Seaside Heights, NJ |access-date=June 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719095424/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/26/nyregion/jersey-shore-roller-coaster-hydrus.html?mtrref=web.archive.org&mtrref=web.archive.org |archive-date=2017-07-19 }} However, the replacement coaster opened on the beach instead of the pier to protect it from future storms.{{cite news |last=Goldgeier |first=Kathy |date=May 26, 2017 |title=Brand New Coaster Replaces One Tossed Into The Waves By Superstorm Sandy |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/26/530196463/brand-new-coaster-replaces-one-tossed-into-the-waves-by-superstorm-sandy |work=NPR |access-date=June 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719095630/http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/26/530196463/brand-new-coaster-replaces-one-tossed-into-the-waves-by-superstorm-sandy |archive-date=2017-07-19}}
References
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