A woman in her 60s passed away Monday evening following her experience on the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, leading to the involvement of emergency services and a review of safety measures at the renowned amusement park.
The event took place on October 6, 2025, at approximately 6:30 p.m. when the woman became unresponsive after finishing her ride on the attraction, which had a temporary holiday theme based on “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
Matt Sutter from the Anaheim Police Department stated, “Anaheim Fire & Rescue responded to the Disneyland Resort for an unresponsive woman in her 60s who had just finished riding the Haunted Mansion attraction.”
Disneyland’s security team started CPR on the individual until paramedics arrived. She was then taken by emergency medical technicians to a local hospital, where she was later declared deceased. Sutter noted there were no signs of operational problems with the ride, which resumed operations soon after.
The official cause of death will be determined by the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office at a later date. The woman’s identity, including her name, specific age, and hometown, remains undisclosed as investigations are ongoing.
The Haunted Mansion is a cherished and iconic ride at Disneyland, having opened on August 9, 1969, in the New Orleans Square area of the park. The ride offers a tour through a ghostly mansion featuring elements like the floating head of medium Madame Leota, a dining room with dancing apparitions, and hitchhiking ghosts.
The attraction was one of the final projects with creative input from Walt Disney, who passed away in 1966 before its unveiling. The original version of the Haunted Mansion includes vivid depictions of human demise, such as an opening sequence where guests are enclosed in a room that seems to stretch, culminating in special effects that reveal a hanging figure above.
Since 2001, the ride has featured a seasonal overlay known as Haunted Mansion Holiday, which reimagines the traditional attraction with “The Nightmare Before Christmas” themes during the Halloween and Christmas periods. This version has become a favorite among visitors, who are attracted to experience the modified ride.
Kim Irvine, a former creative director with Imagineering at Disneyland, previously mentioned that her team considered removing the hanging figure scene in a 2021 refurbishment, as such imagery might be distressing for some guests. She acknowledged that addressing the change would be a structural challenge, and the team was still exploring the possibility.
The ride is classified as a slow-moving attraction with mildly scary scenes but no graphic content, as per Disneyland’s official site. It is deemed suitable for all ages, though the park advises that some young children might find the special effects unsettling.
Besides the original Disneyland location, versions of the Haunted Mansion operate at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. The French version, named Phantom Manor, includes similar scenes within a narrative set in the American West. Hong Kong Disneyland offers Mystic Manor, an attraction inspired by the Haunted Mansion but with a lighter tone.
This incident comes after recent safety events at other theme parks. Less than a month ago, a man died while riding the Stardust Racers roller coaster at Universal’s new Epic Universe theme park in Florida, which debuted in May 2025. Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, died on September 17 from blunt force trauma sustained on the 62-mph roller coaster.
The Haunted Mansion has led to two feature film adaptations, including a 2003 version featuring Eddie Murphy and a 2023 adaptation starring LaKeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson, Jared Leto, and Jamie Lee Curtis. These movies adapted the ride’s story into family-friendly entertainment while retaining its supernatural elements.
Disneyland representatives have been contacted for further comments regarding the incident and any potential adjustments to safety protocols. The investigation into the exact circumstances surrounding the woman’s condition after the ride remains ongoing as authorities work to ascertain the cause.
