The Seaside Heights roller coaster, which is still in the water near the Jersey Shore after Hurricane Sandy destroyed it, will officially be removed, according to The Asbury Park Press.
Last week, Seaside Heights Mayor Bill Akers told CBS News he hoped the roller coaster would stay standing as a tourist attraction.
A firestorm erupted in the aftermath of Aker's comments. The mangled Jet Storm roller coaster has become an iconic image of the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Sandy on the Jersey Shore, and the idea of it becoming a monument hit a sore spot with many.
Akers told the APP: "I told them (television), that I did not have an issue with it (staying), it’s not my decision since it's private property. That was the extent of my comment, and then all of this firestorm. It was not the brightest comment."
Casino Pier owns the roller coaster and boardwalk, which was also destroyed by the hurricane. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said the boardwalk will be open by summer, but that the shore may never truly be the same again.
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