Man in Scuba Suit Robs $20,000 From Disney World Restaurant

Police in central Florida are looking for a man who robbed a restaurant at Disney Springs, the shopping and dining area in Walt Disney World, while wearing scuba diving equipment.

Orlando’s WFTV9 reports that a thief swam up to the Paddlefish restaurant early Monday morning, September 15th, and stole between $10,000 and $20,000. The suspect is now facing robbery and grand theft charges.

Paddlefish is a restaurant at Disney Springs, housed inside a large, stationary riverboat replica on Village Lake. This building, originally built in 1976, has gone by a couple of names – it was once Fulton’s Crab House and before that, the Empress Lilly. Though it looks like a boat floating on the water, the 200-foot-long structure actually has a concrete base beneath the surface.

According to a report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the man went into the restaurant carrying a wetsuit and scuba gear. He then entered the manager’s office, where employees were counting the previous night’s earnings and preparing to deposit them in the safe. He forced two employees to kneel with their eyes closed.

Investigators say the robber tied up the employees, then quickly left with the money. Surprisingly, he didn’t seem to have any weapons. He returned briefly to get scuba gear and then escaped by swimming away with the stolen cash.

Once they managed to get free, the restaurant staff called 911 to report the strange incident. Luckily, no one was injured, and the restaurant was able to open to customers at its usual time of noon on Monday.

As a film buff, I saw the police released image of the suspect, and it’s pretty clear – he’s a guy around 5’10”, dressed all in tight black clothes, and wearing a blue beanie. Oddly enough, he wasn’t wearing any shoes! The image actually *shows* him in the act of spray-painting a security camera, right before whatever happened actually went down.

Police found no leads right away after the theft involving water, and they are continuing to search for the person responsible.

The Craziest Disneyland Incidents Ever

1970: Yippie!

On August 6, 1970, a group of political activists called the Yippies protested the Vietnam War by organizing a demonstration at Disneyland. When Disney learned about the planned protest, they called in the Orange County Police Department, even deploying officers in riot gear, anticipating a large turnout. However, only about 200 Yippies actually showed up. Despite the smaller numbers, reports say they briefly occupied Tom Sawyer Island, raised a Viet Cong flag, and engaged in drug use. This led to conflicts with regular park visitors, and ultimately, Disney closed Disneyland early for the first time ever – at 7 PM. It was quite a chaotic scene!

Early 1970s: Watch Out for That Mule

Okay, so looking back at Disneyland’s opening day 70 years ago, you wouldn’t believe one of the biggest hits was… riding actual pack mules! Yes, you could hop on a mule and take a little tour. Things have *definitely* changed since then. These mules wandered around Frontierland for about two decades, but their run ended when Disney decided to build Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Sadly, their time wasn’t without incident. One guest was actually injured when their saddle broke, causing a fall, and they ended up winning a hefty settlement – over $100,000, if you can believe it! It’s not surprising the mules were retired shortly after. A bit of a bumpy ride for everyone involved, I guess.

1976: The Three Little Pigs Get Into Big Trouble

One of Walt Disney’s early successes was a cartoon based on the story of the Three Little Pigs. For years, costumed characters of the pigs appeared at Disneyland. In 1976, a woman sued Disney, claiming a character had “molested” her and repeatedly shouted “Mommy!” She stated this caused her significant emotional distress, leading to a 50-pound weight gain. However, the lawsuit revealed a key detail: the Three Little Pigs costumes at the time didn’t have functional arms, making it physically impossible for a character to grab anyone. Faced with this evidence, the woman withdrew her claim.

1978: Winnie Gets Into a Hunny of a Trial

Have you ever wondered how Disneyland cast members can see while wearing those big character costumes? The truth is, it’s quite difficult! Back in 1978, a guest sued Disney, claiming a performer in a Winnie the Pooh costume accidentally hit their child, causing ongoing headaches.

During the trial, the person who had been inside the Pooh costume actually put it on *in front of the jury* to demonstrate that the arms were positioned too low to intentionally strike anyone. The jury ultimately decided the performer wasn’t responsible.

1994: Gondolas Gone Wild

A popular story claims Disneyland’s Skyway ride shut down because a guest fell from a gondola and died. However, Snopes.com confirms this isn’t true. They do report a real incident from April 17, 1994, where a 30-year-old visitor fell about 20 feet from a Skyway cabin and landed in a tree near the Alice in Wonderland ride. The guest sued Disneyland for $25,000, claiming lasting injuries. But the lawsuit was dropped before trial when the guest admitted he intentionally jumped out of the gondola. The Skyway did close in November 1994, but Snopes doubts this was related to the incident.

2011: A Whole New World (of Danger)

For over twelve years, Disney California Adventure’s Hyperion Theater hosted *Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular*, a 45-minute show based on the popular Disney animated movie. A key part of any *Aladdin* story is the magic carpet ride, and on September 25, 2011, the show’s performers experienced an unexpected one! The mechanism controlling the carpet malfunctioned during a performance.

According to an eyewitness, the carpet tilted at a 45-degree angle and then flipped over completely. Fortunately, no one was hurt when the carpet went upside down and sideways, and the show continued the next day, though the magic carpet was temporarily taken out of service.

2013: Toontown Turns Scary

Toontown, a bright and cheerful corner of Disneyland where Mickey Mouse and friends live, experienced a brief disruption on May 28, 2013. A Disneyland employee detonated a dry-ice bomb near a vending cart. The area was temporarily closed for investigation, but the rest of the park remained open and no one was hurt. The employee, who was subsequently fired, pleaded guilty to possessing a destructive device and received a sentence of three years probation, 36 days in jail, and 100 hours of community service.

2013: That “Small World” Song Can Mess You Up

Ever had a song stuck in your head? One man experienced this in a very literal way at Disneyland in 2013. He was stuck on the ‘It’s a Small World’ ride for 30 minutes, forced to listen to the song on repeat! He won $8,000 after the ride broke down and he couldn’t be evacuated like other guests because he used a wheelchair. Honestly, just writing about it makes me want to hum the tune – he probably deserved a lot more than $8,000!

2014: An Outbreak

In late 2014, a measles outbreak was linked to Disneyland, becoming one of the most well-known incidents in Disney park history. Dozens of people were exposed to the contagious illness after a visitor developed measles about a week after their trip to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. The outbreak lasted until it was officially declared over in April 2015.

2023: A Fantastic (or Fantasmic) Problem

Fantasmic!, a popular nighttime show at Disneyland, has delighted guests since the early 1990s. Featuring live performers, dazzling effects, lasers, music, and fireworks, it had been running almost continuously since 1992. However, on April 22, 2023, a malfunction caused the show’s animatronic dragon to actually catch fire during a performance. At first, the audience thought the flames were intentional, but cast members quickly began evacuating the area. Thankfully, no one was hurt, though the dragon was not so lucky! Following the incident, Fantasmic! was temporarily closed for repairs, and when the show reopened, the dragon was removed from the performance.

2023: A Small Problem on It’s a Small World

A guest on the It’s a Small World ride at Disneyland witnessed a man running naked through the attraction in November 2023. According to the witness, it was unbelievable. Ride operators quickly stopped the ride and escorted the man out of the park, where police arrested him. It certainly seemed like more than just the world was small that day.

2025:

As a lifelong Disney fan, I honestly can’t wrap my head around the fascination with streaking at Disneyland. It keeps happening! Just last April, someone – apparently possibly under the influence – was arrested after climbing a tree and then getting onto the roof of Tiana’s Palace, completely naked! I mean, I understand the beignets are amazing and the lines can be long, but that’s a seriously extreme way to handle a wait.

2025-09-19 22:28