Scuba diver stole over $10,000 from Disney restaurant and swam away
Officials have accused a man of swimming away in scuba gear after allegedly tying up employees of a Disney restaurant and making off with thousands of dollars in cash.
On Monday (September 15), Paddlefish, a popular eatery at Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida, was hit by an apparent crook, according to an incident report obtained by Fox 35.
It’s understood that the heist took place overnight and that it was engineered by a man wearing all black clothing and goggles.
The outlet reported that the unnamed man stormed into the manager’s office, ordering people inside to get ‘down’ on their knees and ‘close their eyes’.
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He left two minutes later, which is when the Paddlefish employees called for police aid via 911, as per the filed report.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office believes the individual, who was in clothing akin to a wetsuit and sporting a pair of goggles, was not armed.
However, an image shared by police confirmed the assailant had an object which he held towards the lens of a security camera. It’s not known at this stage what the object was.
Local 12 reported that the man entered the building on the man-made Lake Buena Vista just after midnight. It’s understood that the alleged suspect made his exit in the same way he came in.
There were two charges listed on the report: robbery and grand theft.
It is currently unclear how much money the robber made off with, Fox 35 stated. However, it’s believed to be in the region of $10,000 to $20,000
Paddlefish staff were unharmed and were able to clean up and open the restaurant for Disney Springs guests 12 hours later, according to Local 12.
The seafood-centric restaurant is located aboard a moored modern steamboat at Walt Disney World Resort.
The yacht experience opened in February 2017, replacing the former Fulton’s Crab House after a multimillion-dollar transformation, which involved a full renovation with a brand new design, as per a press release.
Despite operating on Disney property, the 760-seat Floridian restaurant is privately owned and benefits from the company’s strong security force.
It was announced only four weeks ago that Disney Springs would be expanding its security measures.
All guests arriving at the shopping and entertainment destination will be subjected to security screenings, which include passing through metal detectors and undergoing baggage checks.
Previously, people arriving at Disney Parks via bus bypassed this procedure. This major loophole has now been closed as of July.
The investigation into the robbery at Paddlefish is still ongoing.
UNILAD has contacted the Orange County Sheriff's Office for comment.
Ella Scott