Teen Sesame Place Worker Attacked Over Mask Request

LANGHORNE, PA — A teen Sesame Place employee remained in the hospital Tuesday after he was attacked by two park patrons he had asked to wear face masks.

The 17-year-old boy underwent surgery at St. Mary Medical Center, said Middletown Township Police, who are seeking a man and woman they say attacked him on Sunday.

According to a police report, the teen was working at the amusement park's Captain Cookie's High C Adventure ride at 5:22 p.m. Sunday when he reminded the man and woman that they needed to be wearing masks.

Police Chief Joseph Bartorilla said Tuesday in a news release that the man and woman "responded to the request in an aggressive manner, closing the distance ... causing him to back up."

"During the course of this confrontation, they escalated the incident with both the female and male striking the 17-year-old male Sesame Place staff member in the face, knocking him to the ground," the release said.

The two then ran away, leaving the park with a larger party, police said.

The teen was taken by EMS to St. Mary, where he underwent surgery for damage to his jaw and teeth.

Sesame Place reopened on July 24 after shutting down in March due to the coronavirus outbreak. The park's phased reopening came with a safety plan that includes capacity limits, physical distancing, face covering and temperature screenings.

"We’ve been in close communication with the family of our injured team member, and are hoping for a full and speedy recovery," said Sesame Place spokeswoman Dana Ryan. "The health and safety of our guests and team members is our top priority and violence of any kind is unacceptable and not tolerated at our park."

According to the news release, police have been able to identify the attackers after watching security video and reviewing records of reservations and other transactions. They are believed to be from New York and Middletown Police are working with authorities there to serve them arrest warrants.