In the 1980s, Action Park was a summer hotspot for many in the Tri-State area, attracting visitors from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Entrepreneur Gene Mulvihill sought to transform the former Great Gorge Ski Resort into his own ‘Disney of Jersey’—one of the first modern American water parks. The concept was promising.
Yet, the reality took a darker turn with poorly designed rides, inexperienced staff, and unrestricted alcohol, resulting in hundreds of injuries and six deaths. These dangers left many wondering how and why Action Park could continue operating so many years without any repercussions?
Tune in to Episode 65 of The Great Fail, to hear the story. Special thanks to Seth Porges, director of Class Action Park, for his insights in this segment.
Episode Resources
The Rise and Fall of Action Park, New Jersey’s Most Dangerous Water Park
The Thrills and Horrors of HBO’s “Class Action Park”
Remembering Action Park, New Jersey’s Deranged Theme Park, “Where You’re the Center of the Accident”
The Infamous Story of Action Park in Vernon, New Jersey
Wikipedia: Action Park
Class Action Park Is A Complex Love Letter To The Park’s Notorious Founder
How Eugene Mulvihill Built The Legend Of ‘Class Action Park’
Traumatic License: An Oral History of Action Park
A Theme Park So Dangerous Even Donald Trump Thought It Was Nuts
Action Park: The Shocking True Story of America’s Most Dangerous Theme Park
A Brief History of New Jersey’s Deadly Action Park
Who Is Action Park Founder Eugene Mulvihill? Wikipedia and Net Worth, Is He Still Alive?
Research: How Risky Behavior Spreads
University of Cambridge: Opinion: Why danger is exciting – but only to some people
The TERRIFYING Last Minutes of George Larsson | The INFAMOUS Alpine Slide Disaster
The 12 most outrageous stories about Action Park, N.J.’s most infamous amusement park
Wikipedia: 1978 in the United States
Special Guest
Seth Porges, Director, Producer, Journalist
Seth Porges produced, wrote, and co-directed the feature documentary Class Action Park, which premiered as the number one movie on HBO Max in August 2020. He also appears on numerous television shows on the History, National Geographic, Discovery, and Travel channels; including more than 40 episodes of Mysteries at the Museum.
Previously, he worked as a senior editor at Maxim magazine, as an editor at Popular Mechanics magazine, as the technology columnist at Bloomberg News and as a writer for TechCrunch. He is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
Porges has appeared as a guest commentator on television networks such as MSNBC, Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, and CNBC; as well as The Today Show. His writing has appeared in publications such as BusinessWeek, Men’s Health, Men’s Journal and Editor & Publisher.