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Waldwick resident Chant Macleod repeatedly tried getting tickets for him and his son Brennan, who has cerebral palsy, through an online presale but was blocked because there was no wheelchair accessibility offered, state officials said this morning.
As a member of the WWE Fan Council, the elder Macleod brought the situation to light, they said.
Hoffman said the tale has a happy ending “owing to Mr. Macleod’s advocacy and the readiness of the three entities – WWE, Ticketmaster and the Prudential Center — to work with us.”
Besides providing the tickets, the WWE has added its “VIP Experience” to the package, Macleod said. He and his son will received commemorative WWE souvenirs and will be invited backstage to meet some of Brennan’s idols.
Macleod went on Ticketmaster’s Web site in October to try and tickets himself, his wife and their son.
The site directed him to submit an online request for wheelchair-accessible seating and said that someone would contact him within an hour, Hoffman said.
After two hours passed, Macleod called Ticketmaster and was told it could take several days to process his request because Ticketmaster needed to contact the Prudential Center.
Over the ensuing seven days, Macleod tried unsuccessfully to obtain wheelchair-accessible tickets for the WWE event through repeated calls to Ticketmaster and the arena, Hoffman said.
Although the representatives he spoke with tried to assist him, no tickets materialized, said Macleod, who then contacted the DCR.
“Being disabled and using a wheelchair should never be an impediment to someone enjoying a public sporting or entertainment event,” Hoffman said.
“This is a great example of the public and private sectors partnering together to bring joy to a young New Jersey resident,” said Division Director Craig T. Sashihara.
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