A man killed at Great America in 1998 after straying into a roller coaster's path was identified as Hector Mendoza — but that was a stolen identity. The real Hector Mendoza was alive in Mexico. The victim was eventually identified via fingerprints as Suárez Robles.
Where this was said
At 39:40 · chapter starts 37:00
The Great America Top Gun incident of September 7, 1998 begins as a cautionary tale about restricted zones but pivots into something far stranger. Newlywed Hector Mendoza and his brother-in-law re-entered the secured perimeter of the inverted roller coaster to retrieve a blown-off baseball cap. Just as he picked it up, the coaster rounded the corner and a dangling passenger foot struck him in the head at full speed, killing him instantly and breaking the passenger's leg. Great America and the victim's family disputed whether the gate was locked, but police backed the park's account. Then, a week after the accident, fingerprint analysis revealed the dead man's documents were fraudulent: the real Hector Mendoza was alive in Mexico. The victim was eventually identified as Suárez Robles, adding a layer of identity-crime mystery to an already tragic story.
The man killed at Great America in 1998 by a dangling roller coaster foot was found to have been using a stolen identity; he was identified via fingerprints as Suárez Robles.
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Season 5 of Dateline: Missing in America brings six new unsolved mysteries. The show is explicitly asking listeners to engage — because a detail someone remembers might be the break investigators need.
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