LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (WFLA) – A man using a Walt Disney World-owned iPad with access to a private company application was caught giving unauthorized tours at one of the parks and using the technology to skip to the front of ride lines, an Orange County Sheriff’s Office report says.
According to the report, a deputy was called to Disney’s Hollywood Studios on June 4 in regards to someone trespassing.
When the deputy arrived, he learned from another deputy working off-duty at the park that a 30-year-old man had been taken into an office by a Disney manager to be trespassed from the property. According to the report, the manager said that, over the course of a few days, his team became aware of unauthorized overrides on reservations in the Disney World app, meant for employees’ use only.
The app is used to get to the front of an attraction line without having to stand in line and wait. It’s a private app for qualifying guests and is only installed on devices owned by Disney World and not available to the public.
The manager noticed the 30-year-old man leading a group in an unauthorized tour at Hollywood Studios and saw him lead the group to the front of the line of an unspecified attraction.
The manager had the reservations cancelled before the man got onto the ride and followed him to the parking lot with the off-duty deputy. They asked to speak with the man, who told them he worked for “A Class” company.
The manager asked if the man had a Disney-owned device. According to the report, the man said he did, got the item from the backseat of his car and gave it to the investigator manager. He said he was given the device to use by “Tony,” the owner of the “A Class” company, the report notes.
When the Orange County deputy arrived to the office to speak with the man, he said he did not know the iPad was stolen.
It was confirmed the iPad was Disney’s property, taken without permission, but had not been reported as stolen.
The man was issued a trespass warning by Disney for all of its property.
