Hijab-Wearing Family Barred From Six Flags After Search, Lawsuit Says

JACKSON, NJ — A mother and daughter from Staten Island have filed a lawsuit against Six Flags Great Adventure, claiming they were discriminated against by a ride attendant because they were wearing hijabs.

The mother and daughter, who are only identified by their initials in the lawsuit, say the incident happened Aug. 31, 2021, at the Jersey Devil Coaster.

They were dressed in hijabs, adhering to their religious custom as Muslims, and said they had put their cell phones in a locker for the day, according to the lawsuit.

As they waited in line for their first ride, they were repeatedly questioned by ride attendants about whether they had any items in their pockets. "Other guests who were not wearing hijabs were not questioned in this way," the suit says.

The mother and daughter, who is a juvenile, said the multiple questions were repeated when they rode their second ride of the day, and when they got to the Jersey Devil Coaster, it escalated.

After refusing to allow the mother to put her membership cup in one of the cupholders designed for patrons to leave their cups during a ride, she and her daughter were patted down by a ride attendant who was dissatisfied with the mother and daughter's statements that they had only their membership cards in their pockets, the suit said.

One of the ride attendants said the mother and daughter would have to put the cup and membership cards in their locker and go to the end of the ride line; but they saw that same ride attendant "let another family leave the front of the line, drop their backpacks in their locker, and re-enter the ride through the VIP entrance," the lawsuit said.

The mother and daughter refused to leave the line and security was called; a security guard told the ride attendant the patdown was unacceptable, and told the mother she could file a complaint. But when she went to file the formal complaint, she was told she and her daughter would have to leave the park, the lawsuit said.

They received an email shortly afterward canceling their membership, the lawsuit says.

An email to a Six Flags spokesperson seeking comment was not immediately returned, but in a response filed by the park's attorneys, park officials claim the mother and daughter refused to comply with the ride attendant's instructions and that led to the park ejection and membership cancellation.

"Taking as true the contention that the conduct was discriminatory (to which proposition Defendant strenuously objects), there is nothing to support that the alleged discriminator – a ride operator – was authorized to act in this manner by SFGA, because he was not so authorized," the response says. "Quite to the contrary, SFGA maintains robust anti-discrimination policies and

provides extensive training to its employees."

The mother and daughter are seeking unspecified damages along with payment of attorneys' fees.

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