Man Attempts To Kidnap Disney Employee, Remains At Large
By Kelly Coffey-Behrens on August 28, 2023 at 4:00 PM EDT
A man reportedly tried to grab a female Disney Cast Member following her shift at EPCOT last month.
The attempted kidnapper was not able to take the Cast Member with him as she fought back, however, the man has yet to be found.
Disney Cast Member Nearly Kidnapped
On July 3, 2023, a man attempted to kidnap a female Disney World Cast Member after he grabbed her at the end of her shift, according to an Orange County Sheriff’s report released this week.
The incident took place in the EPCOT Cast Member parking lot, which is located near Overpass Road and Backstage Lane — just off EPCOT Center Drive and across from Disney’s Old Key West Resort.
“As (the woman) made her way towards an area of the parking lot that is separated by a drainage ditch, she observed a white/hispanic male lean out the driver’s side window of his car. The white/hispanic male then grabbed around her waist with both of his arms and pulled her towards his driver’s side window,” the report said.
“She began to scream loudly, she elbowed the white hispanic male in the head until he let go of her then she ran away,” the report continued.
After the man released her, he said “It’s OK. Just come to me, princess,” per the report. She did not go with him and then he sped off while the woman rushed to her own car for safety.
Once the woman got to her car, she called her mother, who urged her to report the incident to law enforcement, the sheriff’s report said. The woman then contacted Disney Security and later spoke with the sheriff’s office the following morning on July 4.
Luckily, the woman did not appear to be injured and declined medical treatment.
Kidnapper Still On The Run
Authorities did not find the man after the woman reported it to law enforcement the following morning.
The female Disney Cast Member described the man as bald and possibly in his 40s or 50s. She also stated he drove a dark sedan, though she did not see the license plate.
“At this time, I am unable to locate or identify a suspect,” the report stated. “According to (the woman), a white/hispanic male did knowingly and intentionally grab around her waist, without her permission, and forcibly attempted to pull her into his vehicle. This case is pending further investigative leads.”
If the man was found, the female Disney Cast Member says she wants to press criminal charges.
Disney Fires A Different Cast Member Following Altercation
The Blast recently reported on a viral TikTok, which has resulted in a Disney employee being fired following an altercation between the Cast Member and Guests, who reportedly used racial slurs.
The TikTok was also shared to Twitter by user Princess Peach, who has also been discussing the altercation with other fans.
Princess Peach shared, “For context: I took out the Cm’s name, but it’s obvious that no Cm would act like this unless they were pushed to it. For a guest to do this, record them and post it thinking the internet would defend their actions is disgusting. Start respecting cast members and what they do.”
The Disney fan continued, “Start actually protecting your cast members from the horrible behavior of your guests that we have all seen online since the return from the pandemic. Enforce the consequences of the actions when your guests break your rules. It’s unacceptable.”
Within the thread of Tweets, many users said that the Disney Cast Member was called the N-word by the Guests, resulting in her anger, however, that has not been confirmed by Disney.
Following the video going viral, Disney reportedly fired the Cast Member. Princess Peach on Twitter continued, “Unfortunately, I learned that this Cm was let go and had 24 hours to leave CP housing. According to her, she was harassed and called racial slurs by this family. I’m very disappointed in Disney with this decision, especially for a company that preaches inclusion.”