A boy was hit in the face by a bird while riding the Kingda Ka roller coaster at a Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey Thursday, a spokeswoman for the amusement park said.
The boy was taken to an area hospital with minor injuries to his face and neck after the 4:45 p.m. accident at the park in Jackson, said the spokeswoman.
The 12-year-old boy, Shane Matus of Howell Township, told NBC 10 Philadelphia the coaster was returning to the station when he collided with the bird. He wondered if somebody threw a ball when he felt the impact.
"When I started spitting out feathers, I was like, 'that was a bird,'" he said.
Matus had bruises and scratches on his neck and face from where the bird struck him. He believes the bird was a pigeon.
"They say the bird exploded," he said. "It hurt a lot for like three seconds. People behind us had feathers and blood all over them."
The 45-story Kingda Ka coaster, which reaches speeds of up to 128 mph, was shut down for 30 minutes after the incident.
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