Man Arrested For Child Abuse at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

UPDATE: The charges in the case reported below have been dropped by the State Attorney’s Office, Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida.

We’ve got another unfortunate incident to report at Walt Disney World Resort. On July 8, a deputy from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office apparently responded to a battery report in one of Florida’s Theme Parks.

According to News Channel 8, the event occurred in Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Toy Story Mania, a popular attraction particularly favored by children. Off-duty deputies informed the officer that there was a situation in the Parks that escalated into a physical altercation.

Credit: Disney

The scuffle surrounded a 41-year-old man named Ramon Aponte Jr., who resides in New Jersey. He was visiting the Park with his wife and kids, waiting in line for Toy Story Mania.

According to Aponte, two teenagers cut in front of them and were being rambunctious. Aponte asked them to calm down since several children were also in line at the time, which is usually the case at this attraction.

Reportedly, one of the teenagers provoked Aponte by getting in his face. Aponte pushed the teenager in response, and the teenager hit him back. Aponte requested that Cast Members call the police so he could report the assault.

Credit: mirror.co.uk

The deputy who responded to the scene spoke with the teenagers, who said that Aponte provoked the incident by calling them insulting names. They admitted to an argument but reported that Aponte initiated the violence by lunging at one of them and choking him.

Once the teenagers exited the ride, they stated that Aponte charged them, initiating more physical violence by pushing one of them. The teen ended up hitting the ground, donning several cuts on his body, and blood was drawn.

The teen then informed the deputy that his head hurt and wanted to go to the hospital just in case he had a concussion. He ended up being treated at Celebration Hospital in Celebration, Florida.

Credit: Celebration Hospital/Wikipedia

There were multiple witnesses to the incident, with Disney Guests reporting they saw both a verbal and physical altercation. Aponte was arrested for child abuse and taken to the Orange County Jail.

What a sad thing for Guests of Walt Disney World Resort to have to witness. We hope this is the last we’ll hear of events like this at the Most Magical Place on Earth.