Tuesday, July 15, 1997 | 9:38 a.m.
Twelve-year-old Sultan Sayed made history as he became the millionth rider of the Manhattan Express roller coaster at the New York-New York hotel-casino.
That memorable feat was even more special because he was asked to be the commemorative rider.
Sayed, a beneficiary of the Make A Wish Foundation of Southern Nevada, is staying at the Strip hotel as a special guest of the resort. He is battling leukemia and his wish was to visit Las Vegas.
Sayed family members were brought to Las Vegas from their home state of New York by the hotel-casino and Nevada's chapter of the Make A Wish Foundation. They stayed free at the hotel for four nights and three days and were treated to free meals, show tickets and the roller coaster ride.
"Vegas is very cool," Sayed said. "If we hit the jackpot, we could move here."
Family members were kept busy on the entire trip. In addition to the hotel's many attractions, they also saw two magic shows, attended a Hawaiian style luau, and spent a day at Wet n' Wild.
Hotel officials were pleased to see the family having a good time in Las Vegas and were proud to have Sultan ride their roller coaster.
"The one-millionth rider on Manhattan Express is a true landmark and signifies the success that we've had with this attraction since we opened our doors earlier this year," said William Sherlock, president and chief executive officer of New York-New York. "We're pleased that Sultan was able to be in town this week so that he could be that special rider. We are certain that it will make our stay with us even more memorable."
Make A Wish became the resort's official charity when it opened in January. More than $85,000 has been raised and management officials anticipate to raise nearly $150,000 by the end of this year.
They also anticipate that the resort will have fulfilled nearly a dozen wishes from children, including Sayed's visit.
Of his coaster ride, Sayed said, "The drop down was the best moment. The loop is really scary. It was a lot of fun."
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