12-year-old boy killed on Halloween haunted hayride, deputies say

HARRISON, Tenn. (Gray News/TMX) – A child was killed on a Halloween haunted hayride in Tennessee over the weekend, according to officials.

The Hamilton County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as 12-year-old Samuel Jessen.

According to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, the death happened Friday night at the Haunted Hilltop Halloween event in Harrison, a suburb of Chattanooga, which features a haunted house, haunted hayrides, a bonfire and concessions.

The sheriff’s office said Samuel accidentally fell under a trailer on the haunted hayride and was run over.

Deputies responded to the attraction for a report that a child had been struck by a tractor.

The chaperone for a group of juveniles told deputies that the children were playing near the hayride route and hid behind some bushes in order to scare riders. One of the children “attempted to jump on the trailer and had possibly slipped and fallen underneath the wheels,” deputies were told.

The Haunted Hilltop organizers wrote on Facebook that the boy had “crossed over a barrier” and “jumped out and attempted to get on the side of the trailer” before he was run over.

The Haunted Hilltop was closed on Saturday “due to the tragic accident,” organizers said. “Our Hearts and Prayers go out to the family effected in this, Please keep us all in your prayers!”

Deputies also offered their condolences to the family and everyone involved.

“The HCSO family extends our thoughts and sympathy to the family of the deceased juvenile, as well as the others who witnessed the tragic event. We ask the community also keep this family in their prayers during this difficult time,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family.