The Orlando Eye shut down Friday while people were on the ride, leaving 66 riders stuck on the observation wheel for hours Friday, some with no air conditioning in their capsules while the wheel was stopped.

Though rescue crews got everyone off the ride safely, some riders said they would not be back.

Makayla Bell and her parents, who were visiting from Indiana, got stuck on the Orlando Eye when it came to a stop around 3:45 p.m., while their capsule was near the top of the 400-foot-tall observation wheel.

"We got up there, probably close to the top, and we were just looking around, taking pictures," Bell said. "Then, all of a sudden, it just stopped — the air conditioning, everything."

Bell and her parents were stuck for more than 2 hours before they were rescued. She said the power and air conditioning went on and off inside the capsule while the ride was stopped.

"It's kind of like, 'Am I going to see my family again?' Like is something really bad going to happen," Bell said.

Other visitors, including Eric Lindberg, who was visiting Orlando from Chicago, never even got off the ground.

"We were there, taking pictures of ourselves, and then all of a sudden, the ride stopped and were asked to get off the ride," Lindberg said.

Bell tweeted pictures and updates from nearly 400 feet up as she and her family waited to get off the ride.

Once the Orlando Eye began moving again around 5:40 p.m., rescuers began assisting guests in getting off the wheel, one capsule at a time, providing medical assessment and aid as needed. Bell finally got off shortly before 6:30 p.m., and the last of the 66 passengers was helped off the ride around 7 p.m.

Officials with the Orlando Eye said their operating systems detected a technical problem, which automatically shut down the wheel as a precaution. They were able to use a backup system to move the Eye enough to get each of the 66 guests off the ride safely.

Throughout the process, officials were able to stay in communication with the riders using the capsules' audio systems.

Now, crews said they are trying to pinpoint what happened.

"They are continuing to take the necessary investigation work to make sure that this doesn't happen again," said Robin Goodchild, general manager of the Orlando Eye. "This isn't something we want to happen."

Orange County Fire Rescue sent a tower truck as a precaution, but said no one on the ride was in any immediate danger, and no one was injured.

The Orlando Eye released the following statement Friday evening after all guests were rescued:

At approximately, 3:45 p.m., the operating systems for the Orlando Eye indicated a technical default with the system that monitors the wheel position of the Orlando Eye. As a safety precaution, the attraction is designed to automatically shut down if communication with this system is interrupted.

Immediately following the default, the operations team began working to resolve the matter to allow guests to disembark the attraction. A backup system was employed that allowed capsules to be moved to the platform and opened manually. Throughout the process, representatives from the Orlando Eye maintained two-way audio and visual communications with guests to ensure their safety and comfort. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this caused to those guests that were on the attraction.

Our first priority was ensuring guests to safely disembark the attraction. With that completed, we are now focused on reinstating the systems and restoring full operations of the Orlando Eye.

This is the first time the Orlando Eye, which opened in May on International Drive, has stopped with riders on board. The ride has closed for maintenance issues in the past on a few occasions, but not before letting off everyone first.

No one was hurt during Friday's shutdown, but many guests were disappointed, and some said they wouldn't be back.

"I don't think we'll go on this again, but all the other stuff in here, we probably will," Bell said.

"I thought all the kinks would be worked out," said Lindberg. "I thought we would be able to fly down from Chicago and get on the ride, and we weren't able to. It was disappointing."

The Orlando Eye offered all riders stuck on the ride a refund.

Orange County firefighters help guests off the Orlando Eye. (PHOTO/Bailey Myers, Staff)

Orange County Fire Rescue responds to the Orlando Eye after it stopped, stranding riders nearly 400 feet up for over an hour. (PHOTO/Bailey Myers, Staff)

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