10 Ridiculous Reasons People Got Arrested at Disneyland

Last Updated on July 2, 2026

I have been to Disneyland more times than I can count, and most of those visits ended with churros, sore feet, and zero police involvement. That is not true for everyone. Anaheim PD gets called out to the Happiest Place on Earth more often than you would think, and the reasons range from sad to genuinely baffling.

I went through years of local news reports, police statements, and viral videos to pull together the arrests that made me stop and say “wait, they did what.” Here are ten of the most ridiculous.

1. The Guy Who Got Naked and Climbed Around “it’s a small world”

In November 2023, a 26 year old man was riding “it’s a small world” Holiday when he climbed out of his boat, stripped down, and started scrambling over the animatronic dolls like they were a jungle gym.

Cast members briefly stopped the ride to keep everyone calm while he worked his way toward the exterior of the attraction, still fully nude, with the ride’s water feature and walkways as his new stage. Anaheim Police eventually took him into custody and charged him with indecent exposure and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

He was not the last guy to try this. In 2025, another man was arrested after climbing on top of a New Orleans Square building in a similar state of undress, also charged with public nudity and trespassing. Two separate men, two separate years, the exact same bad idea.

2. The Woman Who Got Caught Sneaking In for the Second Day in a Row

Back in June 2023, a woman was hauled out of Disneyland Park in handcuffs after cast members said this was her second consecutive day breaking into the park without a ticket.

@magicallymckenna According to CM’s this is day two of this lady breaking in #disney #disneyfyp #fyp #distok #disneyjail #arrestedatdisney #disneypolice #disneyc #disneyrecordgirl #disneyland #disneyparks #disneymusic #disneyrecord #disneyvinyl #vinylrecord #disneytiktok ♬ Sound of Da Police – Rapmosfieryk

She tried to hide from security near Big Thunder Mountain in Frontierland, which is a bold choice given how much foot traffic and how many cameras surround that ride.

Security eventually caught up with her and Anaheim Police made the arrest. Nobody ever confirmed exactly why she was so determined to get in for free two days running, but I have to respect the commitment to a bad plan.

3. The Mom Who Tried the Same Trick Four Times

In September 2024, a mother was dragged out of Disney California Adventure in handcuffs while her two young children clung to her, crying.

According to the Anaheim Police Department, this was the fourth time in about two months that she had tried to sneak her kids into the park without paying, this time allegedly attempting to pass off children who were clearly older than three as toddlers to get them in free.

Disneyland only allows free entry for children under three accompanying a paying guest, and apparently the cast members had seen this exact move before. She was arrested for trespassing and released on a citation. It is one of the more heartbreaking entries on this list because of the kids involved, but it is also a reminder that Disneyland security remembers repeat offenders.

4. The Pandemic Break In at an Empty Theme Park

When Disneyland shut down during the pandemic, one guy named Jeremiah Smith decided an empty, fenced off theme park sounded like a good place to be at night.

Security spotted him hopping the fence and eventually tracked him down in a backstage construction area near the Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout building at Disney California Adventure. The working theory is that he was hoping to find equipment or supplies worth grabbing.

There were security cameras everywhere, the park was a ghost town, and he still got caught within what sounds like a pretty short window. He was arrested and charged with trespassing.

5. The Drunk Guest Who Shut Down Part of Fantasyland

Alcohol has been sold at select Disneyland Resort locations for years now, and most of the time it goes fine. Not always. In 2024, a guest described by witnesses as very drunk assaulted multiple cast members inside Disneyland Park’s Fantasyland.

Arrested at entrance
by u/DeepInYaMom in Disneyland

The confrontation got serious enough that Disney had to close off part of the land while police responded.

The guest reportedly tried to physically resist officers before he was restrained and rolled out of the park in a wheelchair. It takes a specific kind of chaos to get an entire section of Fantasyland shut down in the middle of the day.

6. The Downtown Disney Double Arrest

Downtown Disney sits just outside the parks and serves alcohol at several restaurants and bars, which occasionally leads to trouble once guests wander back out into the plaza.

In 2024, two intoxicated guests were arrested following a violent altercation there. Details on exactly what sparked the fight never fully came out, but it was serious enough to require a real police response in the middle of what is normally a pretty relaxed shopping and dining strip.

7. The Man Who Tried to Drive Away From Police in the Parking Lot

Trying to outrun the Anaheim Police Department in a car, in a parking lot, near one of the busiest tourist attractions in the country, is not a strategy I would recommend.

A guest tried it anyway near Downtown Disney, driving recklessly as officers attempted to stop him. He ended up facing charges that included assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, evading a peace officer in a vehicle, and resisting arrest.

What started as a parking lot incident turned into one of the more serious charge sheets on this entire list.

8. The Shoplifter Tackled to the Ground at Downtown Disney

Also in 2024, video circulated of Anaheim Police officers taking down a man at Downtown Disney after he allegedly shoplifted from one of the resort’s merchandise stores.

Guy gets arrested for stealing at downtown Disney
by u/Jozy164 in orangecounty

Witnesses said officers chased him after security flagged the theft, and the arrest ended with him on the ground while officers pulled multiple items out of his pockets. Disneyland merchandise is not cheap, but getting tackled by police over a spirit jersey is a rough way to end a shopping trip.

9. The Guest Who Assaulted a Woman and a Cast Member

Disneyland had a rough stretch in 2024 that included a man forcibly removed from the park after allegedly assaulting both a fellow guest and a Disney employee.

Security and police got involved quickly, and the incident became one of several that pushed Disney to add more explicit courtesy and conduct language to its official park rules later that year.

Assaulting a cast member is one of the fastest ways to guarantee a lifetime ban on top of whatever criminal charges follow.

10. The Line Cutting Brawl at Indiana Jones

During the busy week between Christmas and New Year’s, a fight broke out in the queue for Indiana Jones Adventure after one group allegedly cut through the line to catch up with family members further ahead.

Another group tried to intervene, the argument escalated, and it ended with one man getting sucker punched hard enough to need stitches, all while his wife and daughter watched.

Anaheim Police responded and the injured man’s family shared the story publicly. Disney’s official rules are clear that line jumping and holding spots for others is not allowed, and this is exactly the kind of situation those rules exist to prevent. It is a reminder that even a place built around patience has its limits.

Plan Your Disneyland Visit

If this list taught you anything, it is that following the rules and having patience will get you a lot further than any of the people above. For a stress free plan that keeps you far away from Anaheim PD, check out the Enchanted Insider Disneyland Itinerary Guide, and if you are ready to book your trip, get a free quote from Get Away Today.