Circus performer accidentally shot in neck with arrow at New York county fair
Jul 27, 2026, 9:24 AM
MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. (AP) — A circus performer was accidentally shot in the neck by an arrow during a performance at a county fair in upstate New York, police and organizers said.
It happened Friday night at the Orange County Fair in Middletown, northwest of New York City, according to state police.
Ana Daza Tavera, 42, and Edwin Cuervo Rangel, 38, a married couple from Waukesha, Wisconsin, had been performing their crossbow sharpshooting act when she accidentally struck him in the neck with an arrow as he held up a foam target, police said.
Cuervo Rangel was airlifted to a hospital in stable condition and the circus was canceled for the night.
Benjamin Jackson, the ringmaster at Circus Murcia, said Monday that Cuervo Rangel was luckily struck on the side of his neck in a spot with mostly soft tissue and no major blood vessels.
“No blood leaking out. There was a little around the hole where the arrow went in, kind of like getting your ear pierced,” he said.
Cuervo Rangel was released from the hospital Saturday after the arrow was safely removed and he received stitches, Jackson said.
He’ll need time to heal before he can resume performing but was “walking around, talking, eating, enjoying life,” Jackson said.
Circus Murcia said Cuervo Rangel is expected to make a full recovery as it requested privacy for him and his family.
“Safety has always been our top priority and we would like to emphasize that while this was a tragic accident, it is an isolated incident and there was and is no danger to the general public and audiences,” the company said in a statement.
The circus returned to its regular schedule of three shows a day on Saturday, minus the crossbow act.
