A fight and a popping balloon sparked mass panic and a “stampede” at Walt Disney World as police responded to false rumors of an active shooter inside the Florida theme park Thursday night.
The terrifying moments occurred inside Magic Kingdom just around 10 p.m. as the park was closing for the night, according to reports.
The chaos unfolded just after the “Happy Ever After” fireworks show ended, Glenn Brady, who was visiting the park with his family, told Fox 35 Orlando.
“We were walking down Main Street, heading out of the park, when we — my family was in one of the stores, and then all of a sudden, people came rushing into the store,” the Kansas pastor told the outlet.
Brady called the scene chaotic as security instructed his family to take cover inside the store.
“I did not feel my life (was) totally endangered. But people were praying, and we were subsequently, you know, huddled together. We were telling each other not to panic, but you can tell there were individuals that were quite upset.”
Video posted to social media captured a store inside the park littered with chairs and items that had fallen off the displays in the aftermath of frightened and confused guests running for cover.
The terrifying moments occurred at Magic Kingdom just around 10 p.m. as the park was closing for the night. anxrosa/X“Went to Magic Kingdom today and there was literally a stampede because of a suspected shooter I thought that was actually going to be my last day,” X user “anxrosa” posted alongside the video at 10:16 p.m.
“I was shoved out of the way and fell. Mothers were crying looking for their daughters, people were hiding, it was so bad,” the user added.
“There was just a f–king stampede in Magic Kingdom. I think people thought there was a shooter that was the scariest thing I’ve ever been in in my entire life,” another park guest said.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office quickly dispelled the rumors of an active shooting, blaming the chaotic situation on a fight and a poorly timed balloon pop.
“There is NO active shooter at WaltDisneyWorld’s Magic Kingdom. A fight occurred, and a ‘popping’ sound was heard that we believe was a balloon,” the department wrote on social media. “Guests began running and that’s how the active shooter rumor started. There is no active shooter.”
The park guests who ran into stores were held there while police “patrolled the streets and checked everything out.”
Guests remaining in the store were seen wandering around looking frightened and confused. anxrosa/X
The chaos unfolded just after the “Happy Ever After” fireworks show ended. @anxrosa/X
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office quickly dispelled the rumors of an active shooting, blaming the chaotic situation on a fight and a poorly timed balloon pop. @vertesei/XGuests were finally let out after 15 minutes and exited by the “ferry boats,” one of the park’s water transportation services, as there were no monorails or buses, anxrosa said in a follow-up post.
“A lot of people are pretty shaken up but we haven’t been given an explanation,” the user added.
Guests were finally let out after 15 minutes and were exiting by the “ferry boats,” one of the park’s water transportation services, as there was no monorails or buses. anxrosa/X
Guests were finally let out after 15 minutes and exited by to the parking lot via the “ferry boats.” @anxrosa/X
A spokesperson for Walt Disney World Resorts said “normal operations have resumed” after the incident. @fernuchiis/XMagic Kingdom closed at 10 p.m. Thursday.
“We appreciate the immediate response of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to quickly assess and clear the situation. Normal operations have resumed and the park is now closed for the evening,” a spokesperson for Walt Disney World Resorts said, according to WKMG.
Earlier in the day, Lake Mary Little League was inside the park celebrating their Little League World Series title, posing with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck in front of Cinderella’s castle. Lake Mary, who represented the Southeast region, defeated Chinese Taipei 2-1 to win the 2024 tournament on Sunday.
