Report: Boy who died on haunted hayride near St. Cloud sometimes reached under trailer to scare guests

ST. CLOUD – The 13-year-old boy who died after being run over by a trailer at a haunted hayride attraction in October was volunteering as a costumed “scarer” who would step onto moving trailers to spook attendees and occasionally reach underneath to grab guests’ feet, according to a newly released report from Stearns County Sheriff’s Office.

Alexander “Xander” Mick of Rice died at the scene of the Harvest of Horror Haunted Hayride in St. Augusta, just south of St. Cloud, on Oct. 12. The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office listed the manner of death as accidental and the cause of death as blunt-force trauma to the head.

The hayride owners, Jason and Tracy Stock, canceled the remainder of the season after the fatality. They did not return requests for comment, but said after Xander’s death they were “deeply shaken by this event and are asking for thoughts, prayers and support for the family and friends of the individual involved and all those affected by this tragedy.”

Stearns County Sheriff’s Office Captain Jon Lentz said Wednesday the case is closed and nothing revealed in the investigation warranted it to be forwarded to the county attorney’s office for review of criminal charges. But the investigative file reveals new details about how Xander died.

According to the report, Xander’s father, Steven Mick, worked at the hayride and was a friend of the owner; Steven Mick told investigators he allowed his son to volunteer as an actor in the field along the hayride route.

The report said Xander was wearing denim overalls over several layers of warm clothing, as well as what appeared to be a mask or wig. Employees told investigators the actors, or “scarers,” were assigned to different zones along the route and would step onto a bar on the side of the metal trailers to scare guests. The trailers did not stop along the route; the driver of the tractor pulling the trailer that ran over Xander said the cruise was set at 2.5 mph.

Several employees told investigators they had voiced concerns over Xander being an actor. One employee said he voiced concerns over Xander’s size and age, and another said Xander wasn’t always aware of his surroundings.

Another employee told investigators she once saw Xander reaching into the trailer from the side, instead of the back as they were instructed to do. While she didn’t see the accident, she said she saw Xander reaching for customers’ feet near the trailer’s wheels on a previous hayride.

An employee who was riding the trailer when Xander was run over said he felt a bump and jumped off, where he found the boy lying on the ground with severe head trauma. He told investigators the part of the trailer where actors stood could be slippery, and said he previously suggested treads and lighting to improve safety.

In Minnesota, “agritourism” has little oversight, with entrepreneurs often having to establish their own safety measures as they welcome families to their properties. State law grants “agritourism” businesses immunity from liability due to the inherent risks present in environments with farm animals and machinery. Exceptions to the law include negligence or willful or wanton disregard for safety, knowledge of dangerous conditions on the land and intentional injuries.

Xander was an eighth-grader at Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School, where he participated in band, choir, robotics and soccer, according to his obituary, which states he was “kind, very polite, unique, creative, investigative, and saw the good in everyone.”