10 Times People Broke Into Disney Parks (& What They Found or Stole)

10 Times People Broke Into Disney Parks And What They Found

Welcome to MsMojo, and today were exploring the infamous times people trespassed into Disney parks, including areas restricted to the public. Well explore what they discovered and, occasionally, what they stole.

Spooky Island

In 2009, Shane Perez published a blog post filled with images of his nighttime excursion to Walt Disney Worlds Discovery Island, which had been closed since 1999. With waterproof bags, his group swam to the island. Yet once there, instead of whimsy, it was like a horror film set. With the paths having degraded and been overgrown with plants, they were still able to make their way around, finding the attractions old facilities. Other, more animated wildlife was still living on the island, and Perez also encountered a vulture nest with chicks. Once his post spread online, Disney contemplated banning Perez from their parks.

Big Thunder Sneak

Matthew St. Cyr, whos behind the YouTube channel MattSonswa, is well-known for his urban explorer videos when it comes to Disney parks. In one video he uploaded, a person broke into Walt Disney Worlds Magic Kingdom theme park, in particular, the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster. At night, when the park is closed, the explorer looked around the dimly lit area, giving us flashbacks to the 2005 film The Descent. They climbed up the track as a low rumbling noise was heard, eventually reaching the top to showcase what the park looks like at night, with most of the lights and attractions turned off. Its rather beautiful.

TikTok Trespass

While working as a cast member at Walt Disney World, Jason Jeter created a TikTok account to give viewers a look at what the park's restricted areas look like. However, Disney wasnt happy with this and fired him. In one video, Jeter just walked into an unlocked door to Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings facility. With no staff around, Jeter explored the chapel. A stunning chandelier plays a starring role in the room, as well as the iconic castle in the background. Despite his firing, the former employee continued uploading content from the park, eventually leading to security confronting him. As a result, in 2021, Jeter was permanently banned from Disney World, which he attempted to overturn.

Abandoned Plane

Walt Disney famously had his own private jet, a cream-colored Grumman Gulfstream I with an orange stripe around it. The last two figures of its tail letters, N234MM, are said to stand for Mickey Mouse, giving the plane the nickname of The Mouse. Inside, the cockpit and cabin were decorated with his various characters. It was later displayed at the Studio Backlot Tour until the attraction closed in 2014, resulting in the plane being left abandoned in a nearby field. Well, in 2019, Matt St. Cyrs channel discovered the legendary jet. While the outside looked great, the inside was a far cry from its heyday, as it was gutted. After being refurbished, The Mouse later found a new home at the Palm Springs Air Museum.

Trespasser of the Galaxy

In 2020, with the pandemic running rampant across the globe, Disneyland Resort was shut to the public. Unfortunately, this gave Jeremiah Smith an idea. At night, security spotted him jumping a fence into the park. He was soon tracked down in a backstage construction area that was near the Guardians of the Galaxy Mission: Breakout! ride. Its believed Smith was looking for a payday by stealing building equipment or other items he could find in the area. He was quickly arrested by the police. Smith was charged with trespassing as he faced a possible fine or a short jail sentence.

Backstage Tours

In 2011, Leonard Kinsey released his guidebook The Dark Side of Disney. As well as exploring some of the illicit situations that have happened at the parks, the book also advises people on getting into the park for free and discovering restricted areas. As a self-confessed Disney fan, Kinsey had previously shot videos of his exploring escapades, showing him walking around staff areas, sometimes even taking unofficial tour groups through to peek behind the Mouses curtain. However, after being warned by Disney about his trespassing, Kinsey announced he was retiring from the restricted exploration and advised others not to follow in his footsteps.

Nature Taking Back Attractions

Out of all of Disneys attractions, none are quite as infamous as River Country. Opened in Walt Disney World in 1976, the water park had an amoebic meningoencephalitis outbreak in 1980, leading to multiple deaths. This greatly contributed to the facility being abandoned in 2001. However, with that dark history, this hasnt stopped people from breaking into it. In 2017, the YouTube channel "Dark Exploration Films" looked around River Country. Nature had reclaimed the area as vegetation was everywhere. The water rides and pools had all been drained, making it look nothing like it once did. There are even animals that have made the forgotten amusement their home.

Breaking Into Expedition Everest

Matt St. Cyr often mentions that while hes uploading the videos, it's not him doing the recordings, and they were sent to him anonymously. However, he has not-so-subtly hinted in some videos that it's likely him doing it. In 2020, the next mission for his MattSonswa channel to tackle was Walt Disney Worlds Expedition Everest. In particular, it was the mission to touch the iconic disco Yeti, a damaged animatronic creature that uses strobe lighting to mimic movement. The Yeti, even without effects, is a terrifying sight to behold with its reflecting eyes. St. Cyrs antics of breaking into Disney resulted in him being banned twice from the park. In 2020, he agreed to a plea deal after breaking into Busch Gardens.

Buzzy

While working at Walt Disney World, Patrick Spikes also ran social media accounts named BackDoorDisney, where he would showcase behind-the-scenes aspects of the park. However, in 2018, he and his cousin Blaytin Taunton stepped it up by sneaking into the staff-only area, the utilidor system. They ended up at the Haunted Mansion, where the duo stole around $7,000-worth of props and costumes. It was also believed that Spikes may have been connected to stealing clothes and parts from the animatronic Buzzy months before, too. In 2020, Spikes and Taunton took plea deals for the Haunted Mansion thefts, earning them years of probation, hundreds of hours of community service, and paying around $25,300 in restitution.

Trespasser's Tropical Paradise

In 2020, with the pandemic closing Disney parks, Richard McGuire had a very unique plan. He snuck onto Walt Disney Worlds Discovery Island and began camping there. When the police realized McGuire was there after he triggered a wildlife camera, they warned him over the tannoy to leave. But he didnt. So, they sent deputies on foot, by boat, and by helicopters to track McGuire down. After arresting him, he claimed he didnt realize it was off-limits, despite there being several warning signs and having to get through multiple locked gates. However, McGuire described the area as a tropical paradise, which sounds nice. McGuire agreed to a plea deal, earning him a fine, as well as being banned from the park.

If there were no consequences, if you could choose any restricted place in the world to explore, what would you pick? Let us know below!