MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Police have accused a Cumberland County chiropractor of giving a hallucinogenic drug to a client during a massage session last year.
Matthew John Perrotta, 31, of Camp Hill, allegedly gave the woman Dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, prior to a massage session at the Mechanicsburg clinic where he was employed in May 2022, according to Lower Allen Township Police.
The victim told police she visited Perrotta's clinic on a referral from coworkers, police said in a criminal complaint affidavit.
When she arrived, Perrotta allegedly kissed both her hands and told her she "had really good energy," the victim reported to police.
The victim said before her massage, Perrotta offered her a tobacco pipe containing an unknown substance, which he described as "natural" and something he "made himself," police said.
Perrotta allegedly told the victim the substance would "calm her down and relax her," the victim reported to police.
The victim told police she inhaled from the pipe two times, after which she began hallucinating.
"[The victim] advised that she felt that she was in an alternate dimension, and when she tried to get up or move her body she was unable to due to the impairment," police said in the complaint.
The victim told police she did not recall how long the hallucinations lasted, but her next memory was of Perrotta "moving around the room and banging a drum," police said.
When the victim's hallucinations died down, she told police, Perrotta performed a shoulder and back massage, during which he allegedly kissed her cheek, arm, and hands "in an intimate manner" without her consent, the complaint states.
The victim told police she asked Perrotta what was in the pipe he gave her, and he admitted it was "DMT," police claim.
DMT is a hallucinogenic drug classified as a Schedule I Controlled Substance by the Drug Enforcement Agency, police said. It produces a brief but intense visual and auditory hallucinogenic experience, according to Medical News Today.
After the session, the victim reported feeling afraid that she might have been sexually assaulted while under the influence of the drug. Police say they advised her to go to a local hospital for a sexual assault examination and blood and urine testing to check for the presence of DMT in her system.
Police say the victim agreed to contact Perrotta on a recorded phone line. During the call, he allegedly admitted to giving the victim DMT and claimed to have given it to more than 100 clients.
Perrotta's massage license had been suspended by the Pennsylvania Department of State since Jan. 5, 2021, according to police.
Perrotta is charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, harassment, and a violation of the 2008 Massage Therapy Act.
Charges were filed against him on April 6, and he was arrested Wednesday, according to police.
