Perilous Plunge. Never heard of an incident but yes it was removed to make way for 3 new attractions to regenerate the area, not because of an accident.
When I worked at Chessie even bum bags had to be taken off on Fury but not sure at Thorpe! Depends on the ride and staff member. Stealing of posessions are rare though!
Yes when working at Chessie the only way is essex crew were happy to go up exits all day with bodyguards but on the same day Miranda Hart just enjoyed the park as a regular guest.