The Georgia man who died after being ejected from a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia was a cancer survivor who had also escaped a devastating car fire just weeks earlier.

Hassan Kariem, 42, had survived lymphoma twice and was previously hospitalized with COVID-19, family friends told WSB-TV.

About three weeks before the fatal accident, Kariem and his 10-year-old stepdaughter were involved in a fiery crash that destroyed their vehicle. Both emerged from the wreck without injuries, 11 Alive reports.

Kariem had spent summers visiting Six Flags Over Georgia with his family while growing up, his cousins told Fox 5. He returned to the park Monday with his partner, her daughter and her niece to carry on that family tradition.

Instead, his life ended at about 4 p.m. when he was thrown from his seat on the Goliath roller coaster in front of stunned riders.

Police found Kariem unresponsive behind a haunted-house attraction prepared for Halloween after he struck the ride three times.

Four other people were taken to hospitals following the incident.

“We’re absolutely devastated by this loss,” family friend Elicia Day said. “Any loss of a family member or friend is tragic, but to lose him in this manner is beyond words.”

“I just really want a full investigation, and we want answers about how this happened.”

Cobb County police said Kariem appeared to have been “ejected from the ride and struck other patrons before falling beneath the attraction.”

Investigators are working to determine what caused the accident on Goliath, a major attraction at the park since 2006.

Witnesses said the restraints on the more-than-200-foot roller coaster had made a “weird clicking” sound. Park employees reportedly checked them “multiple times” before the train carrying Kariem left the station.

Graphic images appeared to show Kariem being thrown headfirst over other riders and off the coaster as families and children watched in horror.

“The man started levitating in the air sideways, came back and hit the cart,” witness Logan Conner, who was riding with his fiancée, told WXIA.

“The cart went back up in the air, flipped, came down, he hit the cart, went back up in the air, came down, hit the cart again and then the ride stopped.”

Conner said the final impact was followed by a moment of direct eye contact with Kariem. “As the last hit happened… we made direct eye contact with him,” he said.

Conner’s fiancée was later filmed in tears as she tried to explain what they had seen after the couple exited the ride, which was evacuated.

“The Goliath at Six Flags just launched a man out of his seat three times on our car,” she said through tears.

After Kariem was identified as the victim, Atlanta Public Schools said in a statement that he would be remembered as a beloved educator and technology professional in the district. 

‘He was a cherished member of the Wesley International Academy and APS families whose presence and impact will be deeply missed by our students, staff, and all those whose lives he touched,’ the school district said. 

‘Our thoughts are with everyone mourning his loss during this difficult time.’

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When he wasn’t teaching, Day said Kariem kept busy with his 3D printing business because he loved technology.

Family members further described him to 11 Alive as a passionate educator who loved his city and was invested in bringing families together at extended family gatherings.

His greatest devotion, though, was reserved for his family and the young girl he raised on his own.

‘He loved doing that, he loved kids,’ cousin Geo Ashe told Fox 5. ‘And he doesn’t have any biological kids, but his stepdaughter is his daughter. She’s been with him since she was two, three years old.’ 

‘He was the sunshine of our family,’ Ashe continued. ‘Our whole family is devastated by this because it just happened out [of] the blue.

‘It happened how it happened, and you would never expect anything like that.’

Family members now want the community to remember the generosity, kindness and character they said defined Kariem’s life as they asked for privacy.

‘San was exceptionally intelligent, thoughtful and kind,’ the family said in a statement, using a nickname for Kariem. ‘He had a gentle spirit and a warmth that made people feel safe, seen and valued.

‘Though he was a strong presence – a gentle giant in every sense – his strength was never intimidating. It was comforting,’ the family said.

‘He carried himself with humility, patience and compassion, giving generously to his family, students, colleagues, friends and community.

‘His life holds meaning far beyond anything shared online,’ the family noted. ‘He will always share a place in our hearts, our family and the Atlanta community.’

It remains unclear what may have caused the tragedy.

But park officials said they have temporarily closed the Goliath, along with a number of other rides at Six Flags attractions across the nation ‘out of an abundance of caution.’

Six Flags Magic Mountain in California had also previously announced it was demolishing its notorious X2 rollercoaster, following a series of lawsuits alleging it had caused severe injuries to riders.

The theme park operator had settled a wrongful-death lawsuit from the family of 22-year-old Christopher Hawley, who died after riding the coaster in 2022, and three other lawsuits alleging traumatic brain injuries were filed.

The ride had then been closed since the evening of July 12, after two women who rode the coaster less than a week apart needed to be rushed to the hospital.

One of them, 25-year-old Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, collapsed shortly after the ride ended and was found to have massive brain bleeding inside the skull that required emergency brain surgery.

She now remains in a vegetative state in the hospital, unable to speak or move and dependent on a ventilator.

Her family has filed a lawsuit against Six Flags on her behalf, with her attorneys saying that more than 100 people have claimed they suffered brain injuries from the rollercoaster over the past two years.

Another woman, 40-year-old Pamela Guillen, suffered severe brain hemorrhages after riding the X2 at Six Flags in Valencia, California.

Her daughter, Camille Marquez, told CNN: ‘We got off the cart and we saw my mom. She looked lifeless. Not a thought behind her eyes, nothing.’

More lawsuits would be filed in the coming weeks, the lawyers then vowed.

President Trump pardoned two Alaska diesel-truck mechanics during a rally Tuesday night, saying they had been “wrongfully charged” under the Biden administration.

Trump signed unconditional pardons for Zachary Czubak and Patrick Fleming midway through a Wasilla rally supporting Republican incumbents Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Nick Begich in their respective Senate and House races.

“They wanted to put them in jail for 10 years because they fixed an engine,” Trump told the crowd. “How sick.”

“Well, I heard about it. I read the story about it. Did a little check, and I’m giving each one an unconditional pardon,” he said.

White House aide Natalie Harp brought the pardon documents to the podium for Trump to sign.

Trump then joked about the meaning of a pardon, saying recipients are considered “as clean as a newborn baby’s ass,” while adding that he was unsure how the expression originated.

The president invited Czubak and Fleming onto the stage to receive the newly signed pardons and speak to the audience.

“This means the world to me. It’s everything,” Fleming said.

“We’re not criminals. We’re not trying to hurt anybody. We want to help Alaskans. We want to help people with diesel trucks, with vehicles, you know, across the world, and President Trump is showing his support in this, and from the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank him enough,” he added.

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Fleming and Czubak pleaded guilty in 2022 to one count each of conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act.

According to the Biden Justice Department, the men tampered with federally required monitoring devices on private and commercial diesel vehicles and removed mandated pollution-control equipment from at least 37 vehicles between July 2019 and September 2020.

Fleming was ordered to pay a $66,000 fine. Czubak received five years of probation and was also fined $66,000.

“Enjoy your lives, fellas,” Trump said as the two men left the stage, describing the charges as “crazy.”

Trump also cautioned Alaska voters about what he called a “fake Dan Sullivan” appearing on the state’s ballot.

The president claimed the other Sullivan, a retired teacher, had been “put up by the Democrats.”

“It’s just cheating. It’s terrible … They found a guy named Dan Sullivan and they put him up to get people a little confused,” Trump said. He noted that the other Sullivan’s 2.4% showing in the ranked-choice Senate primary allowed him to advance to the general election and “could be the difference” in November.

Trump also called on Alaskans to repeal the state’s ranked-choice voting system, which he labeled a “scam.”

“It’s a Democrat scam. And you got to repeal it … All it is is a way to cheat,” Trump said.

A Pennsylvania mother is accused of fatally stabbing her husband and their 3-year-old son inside a Great Wolf Lodge hotel room, then telling emergency responders she had expected to have her “happy family.”

Metallica Rose Harrison, 27, of Towanda, faces two counts of criminal homicide after police found her husband, Charles Harrison, and their young son dead at the Scotrun resort Monday, according to a criminal complaint reviewed by News Media.

“It wasn’t supposed to end like this. I was supposed to have my happy family. That’s what I envisioned since I was a child,” Harrison allegedly said while being taken by ambulance to a hospital.

Pocono Township police were called to room 2030 at Great Wolf Lodge in Scotrun at about 3:13 p.m. Oct. 12 after Harrison contacted dispatchers and sought help to die, according to an affidavit.

Officers found Harrison standing in the doorway with bleeding cuts on her wrist and puncture wounds near her neck. She told investigators she wanted to be with her husband and son, according to the affidavit.

Inside the room, police found Charles Harrison suffering from several stab wounds to his chest. The couple’s son, whose name was listed by initials in the complaint, appeared to have one stab wound to his chest.

Harrison was transported to St. Luke’s Hospital’s Monroe Campus in Stroudsburg for medical treatment.

“Every day, I work so hard. To be the best person, the best mother, the best wife,” she allegedly told emergency responders before speaking about how the situation had ended.

According to the affidavit, investigators recovered a large kitchen knife from the bathroom floor and a smaller knife from the bathroom sink. Both had teal-green handles, and resort employees told police the knives were not supplied by the lodge.

Investigators also reported finding several medication bottles scattered around the room.

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Lodge security records showed that the family checked in Sept. 21 and extended its stay Oct. 5. Their checkout date had been set for Oct. 13.

Surveillance footage showed all three family members entering their room at approximately 6:53 p.m. Sunday. Later, Harrison and her husband went to the arcade before returning to the room around 11:22 p.m., the affidavit states.

Monroe County District Attorney Michael Mancuso called the criminal complaint “disturbing reading” and said authorities were continuing to collect evidence.

“The investigation continues as we gather further evidence shedding light on the circumstances surrounding this horrendous situation,” Mancuso said in a statement.

He praised the work of Pocono Township police, Pennsylvania State Police forensic investigators and the county coroner’s office, describing the hotel room as a “complex double homicide scene.”

Mancuso also stressed that Harrison is presumed innocent and that prosecutors must establish her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Police described the deaths as an isolated domestic tragedy and said there was no threat to the community.

Great Wolf Lodge told News Media it was “deeply saddened and heartbroken” by the deaths and was cooperating with investigators.

“It was an isolated family incident, and we’re cooperating fully with local law enforcement as they conduct their investigation,” the resort said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of those affected.”

A resort spokesperson said responding officers quickly determined there was no ongoing security concern.

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia became an instant viral sensation during her first press briefing on Tuesday after mistakenly saying “my president” instead of “my husband.”

Zacharia, a 41-year-old mother of four, was a familiar face on conservative broadcast programs before being chosen last week to succeed Karoline Leavitt.

The slip—which Zacharia good-naturedly acknowledged was “a good one”—has prompted fresh interest in the personal life of the White House’s new press secretary.

Her husband, Tyler, is a well-known film producer whose recent credits include several successful movies.

His credits include Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman and Silence, starring Andrew Garfield, along with recent major studio releases such as Roofman and The Breadwinner.

Although much of his work has been aimed at mainstream audiences, Tyler recently produced Young Washington, a film about the nation’s first president that proved popular with conservatives.

Tyler earned his undergraduate degree from Georgetown, where he studied international politics and military security. He later received an MBA from Pepperdine in 2016 and went on to work for a private equity firm in Beijing.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Tyler served as a vice president at SGI Frontier Capital in Beijing from August 2007 through July 2013.

He also speaks fluent Mandarin, a skill that helped him secure work in the private equity sector.

“What I learned is that when you’re doing deals in China, or really anywhere, it’s not about the facts and figures as much as your people skills. That excites me way more than sitting down in front of a spreadsheet,” he said of his career.

Tyler now serves as chief operating officer of 2521 Entertainment, the company behind several recent films and an upcoming feature about the founding of the Hershey chocolate company.

He also oversees business operations at Boies Schiller Entertainment and CenterStage Technologies.

Katie and Tyler have been married since 2011, with Tyler confirming their marriage in a 2016 interview with Pepperdine Magazine.

The interview also revealed that the couple spent eight months backpacking around the world together during the mid-2010s.

The couple have four children, and Katie spent five years away from work to focus on raising them.

Despite her demanding career, Katie says her children remain her top priority. “The idea of not spending evenings with my kids is completely unacceptable,” she said.

“I adore my family. I love them. They are my priority,” she added.

Katie was asked at one point how she could maintain that balance, given her family lives in California. 

‘[Tyler’s] out here for the week because we have two birthdays in our family and we are very, very protective of celebrating birthdays as a family. So he brought the entire crew out here. Bless him. It’s a lot. And we will be moving out here,’ she said.

‘I intend to, to the extent possible, include my family, include my kids in my work. Though my work will be demanding, they will always be a priority.’

Katie Zacharia lived and worked in Beijing, China, for roughly two to three years after graduating from Pepperdine University’s law school. 

She worked for the Zhong Lun Law Firm from about August 2011 to June 2014. Her husband, Tyler Zacharia, also worked in Beijing at the time for a private equity firm.  

‘I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials,’ Zacharia told the Daily Mail in a statement. 

In addition to her roles in China, Katie Zacharia has also served as the general counsel of conservative political group Fix California, according to her LinkedIn, and has claimed to be outside counsel for the World Bank Group and the International Finance Corporation.

Katie, who was announced as press secretary on Friday, appeared Saturday morning on Fox & Friends Weekend to discuss her new position.

‘This job is not about me,’ Zacharia said. ‘This job is about [Trump] and how he wants to communicate to the American people.’

She called Trump ‘the most energetic, intense president we have ever seen,’ and touted his policies as ‘the most effective [and] most exciting.’

Zacharia, who is also a senior communications advisor for the President’s Truth Social social media platform, added that she could not wait to work for Trump.

‘Whatever it brings – he’s full of surprises – but I’m really excited about it,’ she said.

The new press secretary noted that Trump had shown her where the White House ballroom would be. She called it an example of Trump ‘bringing back’ America’s greatness.

‘He is ahead of schedule, under budget, and it’s gonna be amazing,’ Zacharia said.

Trump announced that Zacharia would follow Karoline Leavitt, the previous press secretary, on Friday afternoon on Truth Social. Leavitt announced her departure on August 12 and left the position on August 27, which she explained was to spend more time with her family.

Trump said Zacharia had been ‘outstanding’ in her role at Truth Social, noting she had also served as deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, where she lasted six weeks. 

She replaced Tricia McLaughlin in February as the on-camera face of Trump’s immigration crackdown.

But it was short lived, and her exit from DHS was shrouded in controversy, with reports she was pushed out over her close ties to Corey Lewandowski, Kristi Noem’s DHS adviser and rumored lover.

Zacharia, at the time, flatly denied that account, claiming she stepped away because constant travel between Washington and her home in California was too hard on her family. 

Trump said on Truth Social in his announcement: ‘She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning.’ 

The president said Zacharia was ‘a devoted fan and member of MAGA,’ who he was confident would ‘deliver strong results.’

Zacharia thanked Trump on Truth Social ‘for the distinguished privilege’ of becoming White House press secretary after his announcement.

‘Serving President Trump and the American people at this critical 250–year mark is the honor of a lifetime,’ Zacharia wrote.

She said Trump had ‘shown America that we can be great again’ while lavishing praise on his administration.

‘His confidence is a true privilege, and his leadership is a blessing to this country,’ Zacharia added.

‘God bless President Trump, and God bless America,’ she continued.

Trump also said Zacharia had been previously involved in his presidential campaigns, particularly in key swing states.

Zacharia’s naming comes during an important political period ahead of the midterm elections in November.

Rep. Ilhan Omar’s, D-Minn., immigration history is again under scrutiny following a federal search of her Washington, D.C., residence. New reports say investigators have subpoenaed relatives, while congressional staff previously asked that the birth year in several public biographies be changed.

Federal investigators subpoenaed Omar’s sister, Sahra Noor, and at least one other person in her family’s circle as part of an inquiry into possible fraud and false statements in immigration documents, The New York Times reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the investigation.

Fox News also reported that subpoenas were issued to multiple members of Omar’s family.

Separately, the New York Post reported that Omar’s congressional staff contacted the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library in May 2019 and requested that her birth year be changed from 1981 to 1982. The discrepancy has been cited by a former political opponent who has challenged Omar’s account of how she obtained U.S. citizenship.

The reports emerged a day after agents with Homeland Security Investigations searched Omar’s home in Washington, D.C.

Two sources familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that the search was connected to an ongoing criminal investigation involving Omar’s immigration paperwork.

The Justice Department confirmed that agents carried out a judicially authorized search warrant as part of an active federal criminal investigation.

Omar has consistently denied any immigration-related wrongdoing and accused the Trump administration of directing federal law enforcement against her for political reasons.

“I’m ok. Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement,” Omar, a member of the progressive congressional group known as “The Squad,” wrote Monday on X.

“For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation,” she added. “I will not be silenced.”

Emails reviewed by the Post indicate that Omar’s congressional staff contacted the Minnesota library several months after she joined Congress to seek a correction to the birth year listed in its records.

“On May 17, 2019, Library staff were informed by Rep. Omar’s congressional staff that her birth year was incorrect and requested that we change it to 1982,” the library’s director wrote in a May 24, 2019, email, according to the outlet.

The director also wrote that Omar’s staff were coordinating with Wikipedia, the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress and other reference sources to update the year.

The library’s original listing, however, was not based on a birth certificate or other primary documentation. In a separate email cited by the Post, the director said the 1981 date had been taken from other reference materials and added “without documentation.”

The conflicting birth years do not, by themselves, prove that Omar falsified immigration records. Neither report established that the biography change was connected to Monday’s search.

Omar has said that she became a U.S. citizen through her father’s naturalization in 2000, before reaching the age of 18.

“I became a citizen actually before I turned 18,” she told The Intercept in a September 2018 interview, according to the Post. “My father became a citizen and so I got my citizenship through that process.”

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AJ Kern, who unsuccessfully challenged Omar in the 2022 Democratic primary, has questioned whether she was still a minor when her father became a citizen, the Post reported.

Kern told the outlet that she filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission and brought a lawsuit seeking documentation of Omar’s citizenship. A state judge dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction, according to the Post.

The Times reported that investigators are examining the immigration history of Omar’s family, including whether her late father, Nur Omar Mohamed, provided false information or left out relevant details on immigration forms before becoming a U.S. citizen.

The precise scope of the investigation remains unclear. Grand jury subpoenas seek evidence and do not, by themselves, mean the recipients are suspected of wrongdoing.

The Times reported that previous federal inquiries into Omar’s immigration history have not resulted in charges.

The immigration developments also come as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro disclosed a separate examination of Omar’s financial disclosures.

Speaking Tuesday on Fox News’ “America Reports,” Pirro said her office was investigating the filings, which previously showed that the combined reported value of two businesses tied to Omar’s husband, Tim Mynett, climbed from approximately $15,000 to $51,000 in 2023 to between $6 million and $30 million in 2024.

Fox News Digital previously examined the disclosures involving eStCru LLC, a California winery, and Rose Lake Capital LLC, a Washington-based venture capital firm.

Omar amended the filings in April, reducing the couple’s combined reported assets to between $18,004 and $95,000. Her office said the original disclosures failed to properly account for business liabilities. Financial disclosures list assets in broad ranges and do not establish an exact net worth.

In September, the Office of Congressional Conduct voted 5-1 to recommend that the House Ethics Committee dismiss misconduct allegations related to the disclosures, finding no substantial reason to believe Omar reported false or incomplete information in violation of federal law or House rules.

That review is separate from the federal investigation Pirro described. It remains unclear whether the financial inquiry is connected to Monday’s search.

President Donald Trump renewed his criticism Tuesday in a statement shared by the White House on X, questioning the change in Omar’s financial filings.

“America wants answers, and we want them, NOW!” Trump said.

Vice President JD Vance, who previously accused Omar of immigration fraud, said Tuesday that he had no advance knowledge of the search, according to the Times.

“If there’s a real case there, we’re going to follow the facts,” Vance said. “If there’s not a real case there, then we won’t.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department, Omar’s office and the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.