“I’m here outside Space Mountain at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, where some people have reported a scary sight while in the ride’s rockets,” said the reporter. “I was able to flag down Jessica, one of the riders willing to tell her story. What did you see, Jessica?”
“It was so freaky,” said Jessica. “I was in my seat with the chest and lap bar pulled around me. They didn’t have any single riders in line so the seat next to me was left empty. We set off, and we’re zooming through the track, and as I’m looking around I see a faint, glowing silhouette of a man with red hair. I reach out to touch him, but he disappears as my hand makes contact.”
Over the past week, multiple riders have claimed to have seen and heard the mysterious man, joining them on their journey through Space Mountain. However, when looking at the ride’s security cameras and post-ride photo booth, nothing appears out of the ordinary. Staff even closed down Space Mountain for a week in order to investigate the strange occurrence, including searching the rooms within the Mountain and testing the ride’s mechanisms to ensure everything was running properly.
“My girlfriends and I came here on a quick vacation,” said Morgan. “And in the middle of the ride, we hear a grown man start yelling, loud enough as though he was in the cart with us. The eleven of us almost filled up an entire rocket, but it sounded like the noise was coming from the empty seat!”
Rumors have circulated for a couple of weeks about the Space Mountain Spirit. Some say it’s one elaborate prank by Disney, while others claim it’s a worker hiding in Space Mountain’s dark structure having some fun. However, one rumor has gained more traction than the others, and one former worker gave the inside scoop.
“Some cast members know all about the lore of the ghost rider,” said the worker, who asked to remain anonymous. “He was allegedly a big redhead guy who was on Space Mountain back in the ‘70s. While on the track, he had a heart attack and died before the cart got back to the loading dock. As a result, his spirit never left the ride and lingers in the rocket ride carts.” The worker even mentioned how the higher-ups try to keep things under wraps.
“They tell us not to talk about it, especially to the guests,” said the worker. “But when you work in such a magical place, of course people are going to share stories. I don’t really understand why they want to keep it a secret. It’s better to be upfront about it instead of having to let people find out by being haunted on a ride.”
“The man’s death prompted a park-wide initiative to include safety precautions and recommendations at the entrance to every ride, particularly about being in good health when riding,” said the reporter into the camera. “Next time you encounter a ride safety sign, read carefully, because it could be the difference between life and death.”
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Author’s Note: My source story gives very little information. It only explains that he is a redhead that died in the ‘70s that sits next to people. I decided to take that opportunity to describe a few different encounters with him, including seeing him and hearing him in different occurrences. I wanted to incorporate the “safety measures” that are included at the beginning of practically every ride, so I decided to explain he died of a heart attack while on the ride. I vividly remember seeing all the safety precaution signs, saying things like “Don’t ride if you’re pregnant” or “Don’t ride if you have a pre-existing condition.” Many people ignore these signs when they’re in amusement parks, mainly because amusement parks are required by law to include them, and they usually use their own discretion when boarding rides. Honestly, I’m one of them; by the sign’s rules, I shouldn’t ride any rides due to my heart condition. However, I’m fairly healthy and know which rides would cause issues to my heart and which ones honestly won’t do anything to me. They are very commonplace in amusement parks, but I don’t think anyone has ever thought about who started including them and why. My story gives a little bit of a backstory and reason behind an aspect of theme parks that are sometimes ignored.