New Hartford Haunted House Attraction Apologizes for Injury

A New Hartford Haunted House is assuring community members that their Halloween themed attraction is safe, and they've learned from their mistakes after a ticket holder says she was injured while attending. The Crooked World Haunted House in New Hartford is assuring the public their attraction on Campion Road in the village is safe.

A local resident visited the attraction this week and said she and her family entered the attraction with the understanding that they wouldn't be touched by staff, which is part of an optional "scare tactic" during the show. Allison Cacciotti said staff said on Facebook, members ignored her request for a "no touch pass" and she was touched and pushed, and screamed at during the tour. She also claims he had to seek medical attention after glitter was thrown into her eyes.

According to the attraction's website: "The Touch Pass allows our actors to make physical contact with you during your experience. This includes grabbing, pushing, pulling, and other physical interactions that enhance the terror. The Touch Pass is optional but highly recommended for the full Crooked World experience. Without it, actors will maintain a safe distance while still delivering maximum scares."

"I confirmed before we entered that we would not be touched because when we arrived in the parking lot people dressed as clowns and different creatures greeted us with touch and I did not like it," said Cacciotti on Facebook. "We immediately vocalized this as Anj was also being touched and someone came behind her and threw her hood over her head aggressively. Placing their hands on our shoulders and poking us etc. It was clearly indicated on their website that no one will touch you without a touch pass and they will remain at a safe distance. We literally felt their breath on us- there was no safe distance. After being reassured no one would touch us again as we entered the attraction we proceeded through."

The show posted the following statement on Facebook:

"We want to take a moment to address and clarify an incident that recently occurred at our attraction. A guest reported an upsetting experience, and first and foremost: we are deeply sorry.

At Crooked World, our mission has always been to deliver safe, thrilling, and unforgettable scares never to cause harm. What happened does not reflect our standards or our values as a team. We take full responsibility and are already implementing changes to ensure this never happens again.

The actor involved did not intentionally throw confetti in the guest’s face it was an unfortunate accident. As soon as he realized something was wrong, he immediately broke character and called for his zone leader to assist the guest.

When our on-site EMT arrived and carefully explained that he needed to flush her eyes for safety and walked her through each step before doing anything. His focus was on keeping her calm, safe, and cared for while addressing the situation quickly. We offered an ambulance. Luckily, the guest got checked out and is doing okay with no serious injury as they stated in a public post, in which we hope for quick recovery.

What We’re Doing Moving Forward

Strict No-Contact Policy - Removing the Touch Pass Add On

Banning Harmful Props -Items like glitter, confetti, and similar materials will no longer be used.

Enhanced Staff Training - All actors are undergoing immediate retraining on safety, professionalism, and respecting guest boundaries.

On-Site Medical Presence - Certified EMTs will be present during operating nights to ensure guest safety.

Community Give-Back - This weekend, a portion of proceeds will be donated to a Local Charity as part of our commitment to turn this situation into something positive.

We have poured our hearts into building Crooked World. While this incident is a painful lesson, it is one we are acting on immediately.

To our community: thank you for holding us accountable. We are committed to doing better and proving through our actions that safety always comes first.

To the guest affected: please contact us directly so we can refund and right our wrong. We’ve issued full refunds for your entire group, and would like the chance to personally apologize and do whatever we can to make this right. You can reach us through any of our social media accounts or at sontino@crookedworldhorror.com.

This incident does not reflect who we are or the experience we strive to create.

The Crooked World Team "

WIBX has reached out to the attraction and the woman who says she was injured and we're awaiting a comment.

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