Haunted Mansion riders told to fend for themselves during Disneyland ride breakdown

Haunted Mansion riders squeezed out of their ride vehicles and helped free other passengers from their doom buggies during a highly unusual attraction evacuation at Disneyland that left former employees and longtime fans shaking their heads in disbelief.

Disneyland cast members evacuated the Haunted Mansion on May 27 after a small electrical malfunction on the track, according to Disneyland officials.

Out of an abundance of caution, Haunted Mansion cast members gave verbal instructions and were deployed to assist guests during the evacuation procedure, according to Disneyland officials.

All guests were safely evacuated from the attraction and no injuries were reported, according to Disneyland officials.

A 30-second video posted to Facebook by Tim McKenny showed Haunted Mansion riders squeezing out of their doom buggies and unlatching the clamshell doors on the ride vehicles to free other passengers during the emergency evacuation.

"At first, the cast members advised people to remain seated and to wait to be escorted off the ride," McKenny wrote on Facebook. "After about 10 minutes, the message changed, stating that the cast members could no longer assist us."

The video showed Disneyland visitors squeezing past the lapbars on the closed ride vehicles and walking around the Haunted Mansion cemetery set amid moving animatronic figures and props.

"We ask that you hop out of your buggy and find the nearest exit," a Haunted Mansion cast member said over the intercom system inside the attraction. "If you can, there is a latch on the left hand side that you can press down to open the clamshell."

Disneyland visitors are expected to follow all instructions by employees during an evacuation and refrain from taking photos or videos inside the attraction.

A former cast member on Reddit said the self-evacuation procedure seen in the Haunted Mansion evacuation video was reserved for serious emergencies.

"I have never seen such chaos and recklessness on Disney's end," wrote one Redditor. "What if someone falls or can't get out? What if someone gets lost? What if there were kids riding alone who were too scared to get off alone?"

Disneyland's standard evacuation procedure typically involves employees walking along the track to unlock the ride vehicles one by one and escorting riders out of the attraction, according to a former cast member on Reddit.

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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 4:35 PM.