Rezi Kharanauli says he won’t return to Canada’s Wonderland after his brand-new camera disappeared moments after he placed it in a bin for safekeeping.
The 17-year-old bought the camera the day before he visited the park on Aug. 11.
“I just wanted to test it out, see how it performs,” Kharanauli said in an interview with CTV News.
The camera, an Insta360 X5, cost him more than $800, but with its specific stick attachment and microSD card, Kharanauli says it added up to around $1,000.
He’d spent the day at the park, first spending time at the waterpark before drying off to end the day riding rollercoasters. By the time he got on Yukon Striker, Kharanauli said it was around 10 p.m., marking the last ride they could do before Wonderland closed for the night.
They had just ridden the dive coaster, and Kharanauli said nothing unusual had happened then. He and his friends were able to put all their belongings in the cubbies that transport their things to the other side once the ride is over.
It was when they went a second time that his camera went missing.
“Once I got out of the ride, I went to see the box … and there was no other box,” Kharanauli said.
“The box that was there, it was from the other portion of the rollercoaster ride. We were really confused.”
The teen says he saw an employee offloading everyone’s belongings into one bin, where everyone’s things got “all mixed up.”
“At the same time, he was yelling that if our belongings were not in the box, to go check the bin,” Kharanauli said.
He checked the bin and found his car keys and phone there. The camera with its selfie stick was not.
Kharanauli asked the Canada’s Wonderland employee what happened with it and said they had no idea, that “it should be there.”
“I’m like, ‘What do you mean it should be there? It’s not there,’” Kharanauli said, adding that he and his friends decided to rush to the front of the park to see if it might have turned up with security there.
While they raced over to security at the front entrance, Kharanauli recounted scanning the remaining crowds to see if anyone had his camera, but nobody did.
So, he said he spoke with the group of security guards that were there, told them what had happened, and they took his information down with the promise that if they found anything, they would contact him.
Kharanauli said he also filed an online report with York Regional Police.
He stayed at the front entrance to see if anyone leaving had his camera, but Kharanauli said security guards told him to get off the property and that he was causing a disturbance.
Days have passed, and Kharanauli said he has not heard any updates. He went to the park on Aug. 13 to speak with guest services, but he said they didn’t take him seriously.
“I asked for (a) Yukon Striker supervisor and after a long wait, they told me that she wasn’t available,” Kharanauli recounted, prompting him to leave.
On its website, Canada’s Wonderland says that all cameras and cell phones “must be safely secured in cargo pockets, a waist pack, in a bin on the ride platform, left in a locker, or with a non-rider.”
It says that “ride attendants cannot be responsible for items lost, stolen, or damaged while riding.”
A spokesperson for Canada’s Wonderland confirmed they are currently investigating the incident.
“Our security team will be connecting with him on the status of the investigation this week and the findings will be provided to the guest,” Grace Peacock, director of communications for the Midwest Region for Six Flags, said in an email to CTV News.
York Regional Police confirmed with CTV News that they received Kharanauli’s online report but said it is still early in the investigation.
“At this time, there are no suspects or witnesses. It has not yet been determined whether video surveillance captured the incident,” Const. James Dickson wrote in an email.
Ultimately, Kharanauli wants to get his camera back, or at least be paid out for the cost of it so he can purchase a new one. He adds that it is highly unlikely he will go back to the amusement park because he feels like it is “very unsafe.”
“I feel like Canada’s Wonderland needs to do way better because it’s, like, the biggest park in (all of) Canada,” Kharanauli said.
