Thunderbolt rollercoaster, built in 2014 in Luna Park on Coney Island
Lifted straight up Upside down 4 times

Luna Park, Brooklyn, New York

Thunderbolt

POV
Ride it: back row POV
Back row
What riders love
  • My favorite elements were the drop, funky zero-g roll, incredible dive loop, and return airtime hills.
  • The layout is a genuinely excellent mix of airtime and whip through the inversions (several of which also give good airtime).
  • The dive loop actually provided similar sensations to the raven dive on RailBlazer, which I also found surprising.
  • It has a definite rattle which makes the second and third inversions very uncomfortable, but the restraints aren't as brutal as people say, the first and last inversions are fun and the layout has an abundance of strong airtime.
Thunderbolt Watch Performance Should I ride it? Specifications Reviews Planning History

Watch POVs and more

Thunderbolt Luna Park Front Row 4K Glasses POV (April 2025) Coney Island

youtube.com › BlathersB

Thunderbolt - Luna Park (Coney Island) - Back Row (4K HD POV) - August 2025

youtube.com › ThemeParkMark

Thunderbolt POV 5K INSANE VERTICAL LIFT Coaster Luna Park Coney Island, NYC

youtube.com › East Coasters

Thunderbolt Offride HD Luna Park, Coney Island Brooklyn

youtube.com › Coaster Clips

Thunderbolt COASTER REVIEW ; Luna Park , Brooklyn , New York

youtube.com › Theme Park Crazy

[Review] Thunderbolt | Coney Island Luna Park | Zamperla

youtube.com › Splash One

Thunderbolt Review Luna Park 2018

youtube.com › Coaster Thrills

Performance

Vs. other coasters at Luna Park

Every element has ejector including the inversions, which is made even better by the awesome restraints that allow for you to fly out of your seat.

Carter Eckhart

This thing has 2 really good airtime moments on the return run but is awful everywhere else.

B West

To end the ride with a bang, there are two aggressive ejector hills, followed by a corkscrew, followed by another ejector hill.

Matt K

It’s not glass smooth and the negative-G spots really throw you up into the panini press lap bar.

David

I got no airtime and those inversions were kind of rough.

@madelinegarber7860

I had heard so many bad stories about this coaster that when I first rode it in 2017, I was surprised that it was perfectly comfortable for me and pretty fun.

@StamfordBridge

Although the roughness can be uncomfortable, it made the ride feel more out of control and intense than it would otherwise be at times.

Malcolm Fenville

No wonder TT2 is having issues with wheels when this thing tracks worse than a drunk driver on the NJ Turnpike

B West

This coaster is rough, but I feel that it’s overstated, and doesn’t detract from the quite fun and intense layout this coaster packs.

Chris Ringer

The fact that this thing exists is crazy, it’s one of the most intense coasters of its height caliber.

Ethan

This has a surprisingly quick drop and intense transitions.

David

...to get over my fear of roller coasters (not exactly smart going headfirst into one of the most intense coasters) I can just say the ride was amazing even though my legs wouldn’t stop shaking once...

@anonymousxiii4780

This ride is way more intense than any POV can show.

@mrxexes

Been on this ride it was fast n awesome but a bit scary

@samanthamartinez2539

Should I ride it?

Organize by

Specifications

115 ftHeight
115 Thunderbolt 75 Cyclone 50 Soarin'Eagle 43 Tickler 43 Steeplechase
112 ftFirst drop
112 Thunderbolt 17 Soarin'Eagle
56 mphTop speed
Cyclone60 Thunderbolt56 Steeplechase37 Tickler29 Soarin' Eagle26 060 mph
90°Drop angle
90°Thunderbolt59°Cyclone31°Soarin'Eagledashed line: straight down, 90°
4Inversions

What riders say

Praised for

Ejector airtimeGreat layout

Criticised for

Rough or rattlyPainful or bruisingUncomfortable restraintsOverratedHead banging

This thing has 2 really good airtime moments on the return run but is awful everywhere else.

B West, Captain Coaster review

but for this one, the rattle is a lot worse and causes it to feel like a dang earthquake.

Jamie Óchi, Captain Coaster review

A brilliant layout - packed with plenty of wonderful elements - ruined by the restraints and rattle.

JJ Vavrik, Captain Coaster review

This coaster is rough, but I feel that it’s overstated, and doesn’t detract from the quite fun and intense layout this coaster packs.

Chris Ringer, Captain Coaster review

First part of the ride is fine, but once you’re past the loop, you constantly feel like you’re going to fly out on the other inversions and your legs are getting crushed on the airtime hills.

Keltic Johnson, Captain Coaster review

I expected to hate Thunderbolt after doing Saw, and my first ride on an outer seat left me with a headache - as expected.

Will B, Captain Coaster review

Photos

Thunderbolt rollercoaster, built in 2014 in Luna Park on Coney Island
Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0
Artist's impression of the Thunderbolt rollercoaster opening at Luna Park, Coney Island 2014
Coney Island, CC BY 3.0
Roller Coaster "Thunderbolt" in Luna Park, Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City
Qaswed, CC BY-SA 4.0
Roller Coaster "Thunderbolt" in Luna Park, Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City
Qaswed, CC BY-SA 4.0

4 photographs. Swipe or drag sideways.

Planning your ride

History

June 14, 2014Opened

A thunderbolt, built by Zamperla.

$9 millionTo build
4.3 gStrongest force on riders

Sources

Restraint types: Captain Coaster. History, incidents and awards: Wikipedia. Specifications and status: Coasterpedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. From the park and maker: Luna Park guide. Also read: Captain Coaster (converted to feet and mph). Rider sentiment and performance scores: rider reviews on Captain Coaster, read and scored by AirtimeFever.

Photographs via Wikimedia Commons: Rhododendrites (CC BY-SA 4.0), Coney Island (CC BY 3.0), Qaswed (CC BY-SA 4.0). Video thumbnails remain the property of their channels and link back to them.

What riders love, by theme (themes in the order riders pick them most on Captain Coaster): David, rider review on Captain Coaster: “This has a surprisingly quick drop and intense transitions.”; NorCal Coaster Media, rider review on Captain Coaster: “My favorite elements were the drop, funky zero-g roll,…”; Chris Ringer, rider review on Captain Coaster: “With an exciting first drop and some delightfully forceful…”; Malcolm Fenville, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The layout is a genuinely excellent mix of airtime…”; NorCal Coaster Media, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The dive loop actually provided similar sensations to the…”; Carter Eckhart, rider review on Captain Coaster: “Every element has ejector including the inversions, which is…”; Will B, rider review on Captain Coaster: “It has a definite rattle which makes the second…”.

The photo slider at the top and the fading stills: ThemeParkMark's back row POV, Thunderbolt - Luna Park (Coney Island) - Back Row (4K HD POV) - August 2025 (YouTube), and the page's Wikimedia Commons photographs.