EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Two children, including a Jewish girl, suffered fractured skulls and traumatic brain injuries in separate incidents at a ball pit attraction inside American Dream, according to lawsuits accusing the operators of failing to protect visitors from dangerous conditions.
The lawsuits involve two children injured months apart at Bubble Planet, an immersive entertainment attraction formerly located inside the massive East Rutherford shopping mall, the Daily Mail reported Tuesday.
In the more recent incident, a young boy from Queens allegedly struck his head on an unprotected concrete staircase while playing inside the attraction in January 2026.
According to a lawsuit filed Oct. 22, the boy was inside the attraction's “Bubble Ocean” exhibit, a room filled with large pink inflatable balloons, when the incident occurred.
The complaint alleges that the staircase lacked protective padding and that visitors were not warned about the concrete surface beneath the play area.
The boy was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with a skull fracture and brain trauma, according to the filing.
The case follows a similar incident involving a young Jewish girl who struck her head on a concrete floor at Bubble Planet on Oct. 28, 2025.
According to a separate lawsuit, the girl's parents brought their daughter to attraction employees following the injury.
Workers directed the family to an urgent care facility inside American Dream, but staff there reportedly told the parents they were not equipped to treat head injuries.
The family subsequently brought their daughter to NYU Langone's emergency department, where she was diagnosed with a fractured skull and brain trauma, the lawsuit states.
Both families are seeking damages and jury trials.
The lawsuits allege negligence and failures involving the design, operation and supervision of the attraction. The allegations have not yet been proven in court.
American Dream owner Triple Five was named among the defendants, along with Sea Life Meadowlands, Exhibition Hub and Fever Lab. Exhibition Hub and Fever operated the Bubble Planet attraction.
An American Dream spokesperson declined to discuss the litigation but confirmed to the Daily Mail that Bubble Planet is no longer operating at the mall.
“The space will soon be home to the Minecraft Experience, which will be opening next month,” the spokesperson said.
The attraction's website also lists its American Dream location as closed.
The Daily Mail reported that it contacted the companies involved and attorneys representing both families for comment.
