Lent said the girl was dangling for at least 90 seconds and possibly a few minutes.
Local police described the Sky Ride as a "very slow-moving, gondola-style attraction that spans several hundred feet of the park".
Park employees stopped the ride after discovering that a passenger was in distress. The Warren County Sheriff's office said the girl was 14 years old and from Delaware.
She was treated by paramedics at the park then taken to a local hospital. Finally, she was flown by helicopter to Albany Medical centre where she is in a stable condition.
One of the men who helped her was injured in the rescue effort. The man, 47, was taken to a local hospital after injuring his back while trying to catch her.
A spokesman told The Washington Post that the ride had been cleared for operation by the New York State department of labour. But the park has kept it closed for "thorough internal review".