Halloween bash turns violent at Great America, visitors robbed

Bands of violent teens turned the Halloween Haunt at California’s Great America into a real frightfest over the weekend, leaving many visitors to the Santa Clara amusement park soured on the holiday event and even a little banged up.

Park officials acknowledged “there were incidents” Saturday that “required assistance” from police, but they did not specify what exactly happened as thousands visited the Halloween-themed attractions.

Police and witnesses detailed upward of 100 teens and young adults harassing, robbing and assaulting guests late Saturday night. About 10:45 p.m. Saturday, Santa Clara police received reports of unruly youths causing disorder. Officers later arrested one juvenile on suspicion of theft.

Several visitors reported being assaulted by groups of teens at California’s Great America in Santa Clara on Saturday. Several visitors reported being assaulted by groups of teens at California’s Great America in Santa Clara on Saturday. Photo: Twitter Photo: Twitter Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Halloween bash turns violent at Great America, visitors robbed 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Many park-goers fled in the chaos, describing their frightful experiences on social media.

“Got punched in the face, evacuated out from mazes and it was just all bad,” @dancerallim wrote on Twitter.

Twitter user Ana Banana shared a similar account: “First we thought it was part of the show but then they told us to run for our lives.”

Most of the attackers fled or blended into the crowd before police arrived, said Lt. Dan Moreno, a Santa Clara police spokesman.

“They fled in different directions. It was dark, so it was hard to track down people,” he said. “We’re reviewing surveillance.”

Roughly 20,000 people packed into the park Saturday, visiting attractions like the “Backwoods” haunted swamp, the “Chaos House” and the “Demon: Re-ignited” roller-coaster. The Halloween event was billed as “the fright of your life.”

The park said that it quickly addressed Saturday’s incidents and that the final day of Halloween festivities Sunday went off without problems.

“The safety of our guests is our top priority,” California’s Great America said in a statement.

Staff writer Kurtis Alexander contributed to this report.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky