The Final Drop

March 03, 2026

For nearly two decades, the towering green and blue frame of Kingda Ka defined the skyline at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. Once the world’s tallest and fastest roller coaster, the 456-foot steel giant thrilled millions before it permanently closed in November 2024. By early 2025, its time had come.

The high-profile project brought together two NDA members: R. Baker & Son of Marlboro, New Jersey, serving as the primary demolition contractor, and Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI) of Phoenix, Maryland, which handled the design and execution of the implosion that brought down the coaster’s signature vertical tower.

Proven Partnership

Both firms were well suited for the challenge. “R. Baker & Son has a strong reputation for prior successful projects as a specialty rigging and dismantling demolition contractor,” says Art Sferlazzo, director of business development at R. Baker & Son. “Our relevant experience in large, complex implosions, reputation, reliability and regulatory compliance, along with cost and schedule considerations and risk mitigation, were key factors.”

CDI worked with R. Baker & Son on another Six Flags project with the explosives felling of the Parachute Ride in December 2024. “R. Baker & Son was a previous CDI client, and we had an excellent relationship with them,” says Thom Doud, field operations manager for CDI. “CDI’s design for and explosives felling of the tower was significantly less expensive and far safer than a dismantling approach, given its structural configuration and height at 456 feet tall.”

Months of Preparation, Seconds to Fall

Demolition work began in January 2025, with track removal and preparatory dismantling leading up to the implosion. “Demolition of low/high track removal began in January 2025,” Sferlazzo says. “We used a controlled implosion to bring down the remaining vertical tower structure in late February. From the first physical demolition work to full implosion, it took about a month to two months. From February to April, site restoration and cleanup took place.”

CDI’s planning process began well before that. “CDI began review of the structural plans 75 days prior to the felling of the tower toward designing preparations to be performed by R. Baker & Son to CDI’s specifications,” Doud says.

Equipment and Execution

R. Baker & Son’s team relied on standard heavy demolition equipment, including excavators equipped with shears, grapples and hammers, as well as manlifts and cranes to pick and lower high track pieces. In the weeks leading up to the implosion, R. Baker & Son’s crews carefully prepared the tower and surrounding site for CDI’s work. “Before the final implosion, crews removed much of the track and nonessential structural elements of the tower to gain access and clear the area below for the main tower to be imploded,” Sferlazzo says.

A Unique Structural Challenge

Both contractors described the project’s engineering as unusually complex. “While this is not unique in demolition, the degree matters when the structure is unusually tall and with many connected pieces,” Sferlazzo says. “The tower was extremely tall and required careful engineering strategies for explosive layout, sequencing and the direction and method of collapse.” 

CDI echoed that assessment. “The main tower was of a triangular configuration supported by two front tubular legs and one rear tubular leg,” says Mark Loizeaux, owner of CDI. “The only available direction of fall was down the narrow approach track corridor, which was conventionally cleared by R. Baker & Son.”

To accomplish that, CDI and its project engineering partner, Howard I. Shapiro & Associates, designed extensive reinforcements. “The rear leg did not have adequate buckling resistance to tolerate the weight of the entire tower during rotation in the direction of fall,” Loizeaux says. “We had Shapiro design concrete infill for the rear leg and bracing supporting the same to prevent leg buckling and to carry the increased compressive and dynamic load during rotation to ensure control over the fall of the structure.”

In total, CDI placed 36.8 pounds of explosives at 36 locations along the tower’s support system. “The charges were initiated over a 4.9-second interval to develop the rotation of the structure per the implosion plan and to mitigate peak air overpressure from explosives detonation,” Doud says.

Precision, Teamwork and Safety

On-site, R. Baker & Son maintained an average crew of 10-15 workers throughout the project, while CDI deployed a five-person crew for three days to load the explosives and execute the implosion. Safety and sustainability were core priorities. “The most important part of success is safety above all,” Sferlazzo says. “Zero injuries or incidents, a controlled environment, environmental safety and community, and client satisfaction.” When the moment finally arrived, the tower fell perfectly backward in one motion — just as designed. “The explosives handling operation went exactly as planned and on schedule with no damage to improvements to remain behind or on either side of the narrow fall path for the tower structure,” Doud says.

A Controlled End to an Icon

To roller coaster enthusiasts, Kingda Ka represented an era of record-breaking thrill rides. For the demolition professionals behind its removal, it represented the successful application of engineering, experience and teamwork.

“The fact that it toppled backward in one motion — as seen in videos online — suggests careful engineering to direct where it would fall,” Sferlazzo says. “R. Baker & Son has worked hand in hand with CDI and has a history of safe and successful project completions.”