Downtown Disney crime

[SimonV]

This is not the kind of story we like to see in our Orlando Sentinel in the morning, and hopefully it is only a one-off rather than an indicator of anything more serious, but two American tourists were abducted at gunpoint in Downtown Disney late last night.

While we tend to down-play any crime in the Orlando area in general (most of it is NOT tourist-related), this is definitely something to be cautious about. We expect there to be a significant increase in police presence in the interim until these people are caught and we would stress this is a very rare occurrence in WDW. But it is a concern for the tourist business and people should be aware of it happening. Hopefully we will have news of these people being caught soon.

Here is the Sentinel story:

Etan Horowitz and Erika Hobbs
Sentinel Staff Writers

June 10, 2007, 11:25 AM EDT

Two Connecticut tourists were abducted and robbed at gunpoint shortly after midnight Sunday morning after a Downtown Disney shopping trip.

According to the Orange County Sheriffs Office, a man in a black Volkswagen Jetta called out a question to the couple, who were staying at a Disney resort, as they walked through the parking lot at the entertainment-and-shopping hotspot.

When they stopped to answer, the couple, Justin Stetzer, 20, and Jessica Dellacamera, 20, both of Branford, Conn., were forced into the car at gunpoint.

Deputies said that three men inside the Jetta drove the tourists to a gas station and forced Stetzer to withdraw money from an ATM. After stopping at an unknown location, the men took the couple to a remote location near an Osceola County landfill.

They forced the couple out of the car and beat them, striking Stetzer in the head with a handgun. But the two fought back against their attackers, and in the scuffle, the gun discharged. That scared the men, who panicked and fled.

According to deputies, Stetzer and Della camera walked to nearby Kissimmee home and called the police. They were not seriously injured. The men were able to leave with both the cash and the purchases the couple left behind.

Disney spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez declined to say which resort the pair was staying at or how much longer they would remain in Florida. She said that Disney officials were working with the two "to take care of their immediate needs."

 

[natalielongstaff]

thanks for keeping us updated simon

 

[Minniespal]

Hopefully its an isolated incident ~ Thanks for informing us Simon.

 

[AlanUK]

Wow, that's quite shocking especially as having gotten the man's money they drove them out to a remote location - for what you have to wonder!

Let's hope they catch these people quickly.

 

[Ruth B]

Must admit this makes me slighly nervous. I am are staying at SSR with my 12 y/o son for part of our stay and was hoping to walk over and back to DTD for dinner and shopping.
hopefully they will increase the police presence and catch these people.

 

[wayneg]

Remember there are thousands and thousands of people go thru Disney every week, chances of something like this happening to you are so small you probably have as much chance winning the lottery.
Yes be careful and aware of your surroundings but the fear of crime is greater than actual crime.

 

[UKDEB]

This has made me realise that I definitely feel a false sense of security at Disney. The Downtown Disney parking lot always feels strangely non-Disney with all the young locals cruising around in their pimped up cars. Disney security does patrol constantly, though.

 

[tink too]

So sad!

My thoughts are with the young couple who must be very shaken and distressed about this incident. Luckily they are not seriously injured.

We have walked around DTD on many a late evening and have never seen any type of crime - not even petty theft. Unfortunately this is the way of the world in general and although vacationers are relaxed and unsuspecting of this type of thing (especially so at Disney) we must always remember to remain vigilant.

I live in a relatively small town in Scotland, and am always alert when out walking, especially on my own. Sad fact, but feel it's necessary to ensure my personal safety.

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Excuse me for being a little skeptical about this story. DW and I left PI about 12:20am this morning and like every evening (especially Saturday nights) at Downtown Disney, the place is crawling with Orange County Sheriff patrol cars and deputies and Disney Security guards on foot and on bicycle. Certainly a robbery can take place anywhere but if you were a robber planning to kidnap and rob someone, the DD parking lot with it's confusing layout and limited escape routes would NOT be the place to do it.

Let's see how this story plays out.

BobK/Orlando

 

[paulh]

anouther one http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...y0611,0,4928195.story?coll=orl-home-headlines
bit further than i drive,Downtown disney or world drive but another one all the same.Then again have never felt safe when we visit london,just can happen anyware
Paulh

 

[rosiejo]

Wow - and we always think we're safe at Disney. When we were over in May/June there were reports on the news about an increase in crimes against tourists on I-Drive, seems to be spreading.

 

[nbodyhome]

There are doubts now on the story, but we'll see what comes of it.

Anything can happen - but the news was saying how 50 million people are here every year, and there are very few robberies.

I've never felt unsafe at Downtown Disney, but I am watchful when there aren't many people around no matter where I am.

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Connecticut Police doubt story is entirely true. Per WFTV Channel 9 in Orlando, as stated in this new article:

http://www.wftv.com/news/13481690/detail.html

BobK/Orlando

 

[nbodyhome]

It now looks like the Connecticut police were mistaken.

However, crime is VERY low in the tourist corrider - it was like 56 robberies last year for 50 million people. Some cars stolen also, etc. But the chances of a crime happening to you are tiny. That said, it is always good to be careful - and I am, no matter where I am.

 

[ziggybaby]

Thanks for the info, hope it was a one off

​

 

[SimonV]

The important thing is just to be aware that you are in a 'big city' environment and not do anything that is likely to put yourself at risk (like being out alone late at night). There are very few 'unsafe' areas in Orlando generally, so it is just a case of using commonsense at all times. As already pointed out, the chances of being a victim of crime in the area are absolutely tiny (about 1 in 17,000, we estimate), so it is not something you should lose sleep about.

 

[mickg7dyd]

Hi,
Just read this update on Wesh:

http://www.wesh.com/news/13495898/detail.html?treets=orl&tid=265335030813&tml=orl_4pm&tmi=orl_4pm_1_03000506132007&ts=H

Very odd.

Mick.

 

[nbodyhome]

I'd posted that this morning, but it was just mentioned on TV that Orange County case is closed - but not Osceola. I hope they get to the bottom of whatever happened - or didn't happen.

 

[wayneg]

Another update from Orlando Sentinel.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...y061307,0,2381379.story?track=mostemailedlink

 

[disneyholic family]

It's not clear what the story is with this couple, however the scenario has occurred before.

During one of our trips to WDW, there were actually a rash of these Orlando area kidnapping/forced ATM robberies, including one from the DTD parking lot.

I don't remember what year it was. At least 4 or 5 years ago, probably more.
If memory serves, the DTD incident was in the parking lot outside of Pleasure Island, and it was very late, 1:00 in the morning or thereabouts.

Clearly this doesn't happen often (once in 5 years if that much), but the DTD parking lot late at night is without question a place you should be especially careful of your surroundings.

What's the expression? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure - or something like that.

However, i certainly wouldn't let it deter me from going to or enjoying WDW.