Ever heard of a water park so wild it earned nicknames like “Traction Park” and “Class Action Park”?
Well, buckle up because we’re about to dive into the legendary world of Action Park, New Jersey’s most notorious playground of thrills and spills.
This wasn’t your average family-friendly water park with gentle slides and lazy rivers. Action Park was a place where the rules were bent, thrill-seekers pushed their limits, and every day was an adventure.
Get ready to explore the crazy history of this infamous park, from its daring beginnings to its controversial closure and the lasting legacy it left behind.
The Birth of a Legend: Action Park NJ Opens Its Gates
In 1978, Action Park burst onto the scene in the picturesque Vernon Township, New Jersey, becoming a pioneer among modern American water parks.
It was the brainchild of Gene Mulvihill, whose vision was anything but ordinary. Mulvihill believed that amusement park visitors craved control and built Action Park on that principle.
Essentially, it was a place where visitors dictated the intensity of their experience, choosing how fast and how high their rides went.
Little did anyone know, this philosophy would lay the foundation for a park as exhilarating as it was infamous, quickly earning nicknames like “Traction Park,” “Accident Park,” and “Class Action Park.”
Action Park Rides: Pushing the Boundaries of Amusement
Action Park was different from your typical water park, with just slides and lazy rivers. Nope, this place was massive, with three whole sections: the Alpine Center, Motorworld, and Waterworld.
And let me tell you, the attractions were something else. They were wild and pushed the limits of what you’d expect at an amusement park.
It’s no wonder thrill-seekers from all over the New York area flocked to Action Park for a taste of the extreme.
The Alpine Center
Now, let’s talk about one of the most infamous rides at Action Park: the Alpine Slide. This ride perfectly captured the park’s audacious spirit and disregard for safety.
Imagine a long, winding concrete and fiberglass track where riders, perched on wheeled sleds, hurtled down the mountainside.
Before going on the ride, visitors would take a ski lift to the summit, where they were greeted by a chilling sight: photographs of injured children, accompanied by a warning to keep their arms inside the sled.
The idea was that riders controlled their speed. The reality, however, was far more chaotic. The sleds were notoriously poorly maintained.
Some had no brakes, transforming the ride into a terrifying freefall. Others had brakes locked on, forcing riders to crawl down the track, only to be rear-ended by those with functioning sleds.
Tragically, the Alpine Slide claimed its first life in 1980 when 19-year-old George Larsson, Jr., was thrown from his sled and fatally struck his head on a rock.
State records reveal a litany of injuries linked to the slide: at least 26 head injuries and 14 fractures.
Motorworld Mayhem
Across Route 94, Action Park’s Motorworld offered its own brand of thrills and spills. Here, visitors could experience the Super Go-Karts, which could reach up to 50 mph thanks to a clever trick employees used to bypass the speed governors.
The result was a chaotic bumper car experience with frequent collisions and injuries.
Another popular attraction was the Battle Action Tanks. For an extra fee, guests could operate small tanks equipped with tennis ball cannons in a fenced-in arena.
The goal was to shoot at sensors on other tanks, temporarily disabling them. However, the ride often devolved into chaos, with participants firing at each other and even at employees who had to enter the arena to fix broken-down tanks.
Waterworld
Waterworld, one of the first modern American water parks, was Action Park’s centerpiece. It featured a variety of water-based attractions, some more infamous than others.
The Tidal Wave Pool, affectionately dubbed “The Grave Pool,” was one such attraction. It was one of the first wave pools in the U.S., but with a twist: it was filled with freshwater, not saltwater. And this seemingly minor detail had major consequences.
Freshwater is less buoyant than saltwater, leaving even strong swimmers struggling to stay afloat as 40-inch waves crashed down upon them. The pool’s 12 lifeguards were constantly on high alert, rescuing an average of 30 people a day on busy weekends.
Then there was the Cannonball Loop, the enclosed water slide with a complete vertical loop that became the stuff of legends.
It was so intimidating that employees were reportedly offered $100 to test it. One brave soul, Tom Fergus, described the experience as something: “$100 did not buy enough booze to drown out.”
Rumors swirled that test dummies had been dismembered and decapitated on the ride. Mulvihill’s son, Andy, confirmed these rumors, revealing that he was the first live person to test the ride after the dummies, wearing full hockey gear for protection.
The Cannonball Loop was open for only a month in 1985 before being shut down by state authorities due to numerous injuries. It briefly reopened in later years, but further injuries led to its permanent closure.
An “Anything Goes” Atmosphere
Action Park’s appeal, you see, wasn’t just about the thrilling rides—though some were definitely a bit too thrilling—but also the park’s notoriously loose atmosphere.
Underage drinking was common, supervision was lax, and well, let’s say the doctors patching up injured park-goers often noted that a good number of their patients had a bit too much fun in the sun.
Even the park employees, many of them teenagers themselves, were known to join in the revelry. In a word, it was wild—an unsupervised playground where the rules seemed to bend, and anything could happen.
When Did Action Park Close?: The Price of Thrill
Tragically, Action Park’s more than relaxed attitude towards safety came at a steep cost.
By the time it closed in 1996, there had been six Action Park deaths.
These included three drownings in the deceptively named “Tidal Wave Pool” and an electrocution on the Kayak Experience.
Not to mention, there was also a heart attack and a fatal head injury. So, it’s no wonder the park earned the grim nickname “Traction Park.”
Its closure marked the end of an era at Action Park—a reminder that unchecked thrills can, more often than not, have devastating consequences.
A New Beginning: Mountain Creek Waterpark
In 2010, over a decade after Action Park shut down, Gene Mulvihill’s son, Andy, led a group to buy back the park and give it a fresh start.
The once-abandoned Action Park wasn’t simply reopened; it underwent a major makeover.
Rides were fixed up or taken out, safety became a top priority, and in 2014, it opened its doors again as Mountain Creek Waterpark.
Today, it’s a completely different place, with trained lifeguards, strict safety rules, and a focus on fun for the whole family.
The Legend of Action Park NJ Lives On
Action Park may be gone, but it’s far from forgotten. It was a wild place, a mix of thrilling rides, lax rules, and unforgettable memories—some good, some tragically bad.
From its infamous Alpine Slide to the legendary Cannonball Loop, Action Park embodied an era when amusement parks weren’t afraid to push boundaries.
It’s definitely a cautionary tale—a nostalgic symbol of a time when the thrill of the ride was everything, even if it came with a risk.
By the way, if you’re into unique stories like this, we’ve got plenty more to explore on our site.