18-Year-Old Dies After Falling From Cabo San Lucas Ride 'The Pendulum' as Horrifying Video Appears To Show Shoulder Restraint Lifting

An 18-year-old woman has died after falling from a moving amusement ride at a festival in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Disturbing footage shared online appears to show the shoulder restraint above her lifting moments before the fatal fall.

Gabriela Rodríguez Tezoco was riding the attraction known as 'El Péndulo' or 'The Pendulum' during the Cabo San Lucas Traditional Festival on Tuesday, 20 October, when she fell from the moving ride. The Baja California Sur State Attorney General's Office has opened an investigation, and the ride has been taken out of service.

What Happened on 'The Pendulum' Ride?

Video circulating on social media appears to show the moments before Rodríguez Tezoco left the ride. The footage appears to show the red shoulder restraint lifting as the attraction swings, before she appears to leave her seat.

The video has raised questions about whether the restraint was functioning as intended. However, it does not establish why the restraint appeared to move, and authorities have not publicly confirmed a mechanical failure or definitive cause of the fall.

Rodríguez Tezoco was assisted by Mexican Red Cross personnel and taken to a nearby hospital, where she later died from her injuries. The Los Cabos City Council confirmed her death in a statement on social media, while Mayor Christian Agúndez Gómez offered his condolences to her family.

'Today, with the same spirit with which we come together to celebrate, we must come together to support Gabriela's family. It could have been any one of us. You are not alone,' Agúndez said during an appearance at a festival concert.

Investigation Underway After Fatal Fall

The Pendulum ride was closed following the incident, while safety tests were ordered on it and other attractions at the fair, according to local reports. Investigators have secured the ride and the area where the fall occurred as technical examinations are carried out.

Authorities are examining the attraction and its safety systems to establish how Rodríguez Tezoco left her seat and whether any operational or mechanical issue contributed to the fall. The municipality has also ordered preventive inspections of other rides to verify their operating conditions and safety compliance.

Rodríguez Tezoco had recently graduated from Colegio de Bachilleres de Baja California Sur, Plantel 10, in Cabo San Lucas. The school identified her as part of its 2023-2026 graduating class and published a tribute following her death.

Mexican outlets reported that municipal Civil Protection personnel had inspected the fair before the incident. Subsequent reports said the head of the municipality's Civil Protection and Risk Management directorate was replaced. Those developments do not establish inadequate inspection or official involvement in the death.

No individual has been publicly identified as responsible, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Recent Six Flags Fatality

The Cabo San Lucas tragedy comes less than two weeks after a separate fatal amusement ride incident at Six Flags Over Georgia in the United States.

Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, died after falling from the Goliath roller coaster on Monday, 12 October. Witnesses told local media they saw him ejected from the ride before he fell beneath the coaster.

'He fell and hit the car three different times,' one witness said, according to reports. Another couple riding nearby also reported seeing the fall.

The Six Flags case is separate from the Cabo San Lucas investigation, with no evidence linking the two incidents.