Aggressive Manhunt Swarms Disneyland, Bandit Caught by Apple

When guests visit Disneyland, they expect to have a magical day from the moment they enter the happiest place on earth. Not only is Disneyland a costly vacation, whether you are close by and spending hundreds of dollars for one day in the parks, or you are flying in, booking a night at Disney’s Grand Californian, as well as purchasing park tickets, but it is meant to be as stress-free as possible.

Disneyland is meant to evoke the child in every adult and for children, to help them expand their imagination by placing them in a world of fantasy, and showing them that it is indeed reality. Here, we are able to bring our favorite movies to life, all while enjoying some of the best design and ride technology that exists in theme parks worldwide.

While guests are able to trust cast members and security, at times, other guests can have a less-than-magical mindset, which can cause a fantastic vacation to turn sideways — especially if you have your things stolen from you. Luckily, in this case, vengeance was had.

At Disneyland, visitors can immerse themselves in a magical world filled with enchanting rides, delectable dining options, and unforgettable experiences. The park is divided into two main sections: Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park.

Disneyland Park features iconic attractions such as Space Mountain, offering a thrilling space-themed roller coaster adventure. Pirates of the Caribbean takes guests on a boat ride through a pirate-infested world, while the Haunted Mansion offers an eerie tour of a ghostly estate.

Within the park, guests can dine at Blue Bayou Restaurant, where Cajun and Creole cuisine is served in a New Orleans-inspired setting. Jolly Holiday Bakery Café offers delicious pastries and sandwiches with a Mary Poppins theme, and Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante provides a vibrant and festive atmosphere for enjoying Mexican cuisine.

In Disney California Adventure Park, visitors can experience the adrenaline-pumping Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! ride or race through Radiator Springs on the Radiator Springs Racers in Cars Land. The Incredicoaster offers high-speed thrills for adventure seekers.

Dining options at Disney California Adventure Park include the elegant Carthay Circle Restaurant, serving cuisine inspired by California’s culinary heritage. Lamplight Lounge provides a Pixar-themed lounge experience with creative cuisine and signature cocktails, while Flo’s V8 Café offers classic American comfort food in a Route 66 diner setting.

Whether exploring classic attractions, indulging in delightful meals, or encountering beloved Disney characters, visitors at Disneyland are sure to create lasting memories in the heart of the magic.

When families ride or eat at any of these locations, there is one thing that is always meant to be left behind — their stroller. Because of the size of a stroller, guests typically have to leave theirs behind, as it is not allowed in a line or in a table service restaurant. This has allowed parking strollers to become a normalized part of the theme park experience, so much so that Disneyland has designated areas to park strollers.

Sometimes, a cast member will have to move strollers around to clear walkways that were parked, but for the most part, that is the most “action” any stroller should get. In the recent past, there have been more issues with strollers being stolen, both at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Now, one family who had a stroller bandit attempt to steal their stuff had a backup plan that would help them catch the thief red-handed.

The guest took to the internet to share their story, “Parked my stroller in a designated area and it was stolen… We caught the perpetrator by following our apple AirTag… but she confidently claimed it was hers and ran off twice. Security was great, and found her both times. Finally… were vindicated when we caught her red-handed by pinging our AirTag… sadly she dumped all of our stuff. Heads up to anyone traveling to Disneyland soon!”

Keeping an AirTag with your stroller is a fantastic way to not only keep tabs on its location in case you forget where it is among the sea of other strollers, if a cast member movies it, or if it is stolen. In the case of this guest, the AirTag was the perfect way to prove to security that it was indeed theirs, as it was pinging and connected to their phone.

Some readers were shocked that the bandit was escaping security twice, the guest elaborated, “Basically, they told security that they didn’t speak English and as a translator was arriving… they ran for it into the crowd. Then they told her to stop the second time and she continued to run the second time. It was absurd to me that she was so confident but running. And that even after I pinged my apple airtag.. she felt the need to shout in my face asking where her stroller is then.”

Many were furious in the comment section of the post, one reader replied:

“People don’t understand that the strollers get moved around be cast members in order to keep the walkways clear, and fill in space where others have been removed. It’s a constant game of “stroller Tetris” for the CM’s. When people come off the rides and don’t see their stroller where they left it, instead of asking the CM’s for assistance… they just assume theirs was stolen, and they start rationalizing that if someone stole theirs then they’ll just steal this other one.

Which of course makes ZERO sense— how does taking another innocent person’s stroller punish the person who took theirs? Do they think that out of 10,000 random strollers they are going to happen to find their supposed stroller thief’s ride— and make it tit-for-tat? It is just this mentality of “if it was done to me, I’m going to do it to someone else”.

Credit: Inside the Magic

Others brought up another way for guests to try and have their strollers not mistaken for another, which is by finding ways to differentiate it. Similar to bringing plain black luggage to an airport and waiting at baggage claim attempting to identify it among a whirlwind of other identical bags, adding a colored ribbon or bandana to the stroller can help your stroller stand out, differentiating it from others.

In the end, it was not stated if the bandit was reprimanded, however many thought that the guest should have received a ban. Considering this is a wide-spread issue at Disney, be sure to double-check you are always taking the correct stroller when you get off an attraction.

Have you ever had something stolen from you at at Disney park?

This post is originally appeared on Inside the Magic.