Okay, so this heist feels like something out of a James Bond flick… and apparently, it worked.
Cops in Orlando are on the hunt for a wetsuit-wearing thief who pulled off a daring late-night robbery inside Disney Springs within the city’s world-famous Disneyworld theme park. No, seriously. And it involved the dude allegedly swimming up to an eatery in scuba gear, grabbing a ton of cash, and making off into the night. Erm, WHAT?!?!
The caper went down just after midnight on Monday at Paddlefish, the Disney Springs waterfront seafood hotspot that’s famously styled as a modern steamboat. According to Florida’s Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect was decked out in full scuba gear including a wetsuit, gloves, and goggles when he allegedly entered the closed restaurant, made his way to the manager’s office, and forced two employees into a corner at knifepoint. Whoa…
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Cops claim the robber tied them up, told them to close their eyes (creepy AF…), and then swiped between $10,000 and $20,000 in cold, hard cash. Then, just like something out of an action movie, he vanished. Poof! Investigators believe he may have jumped back into the surrounding pond, wetsuit and all, and made off into the night via the unique, aquatic getaway.
Thankfully, the employees were unharmed. They also quickly managed to free themselves and call the cops for help. But when deputies arrived, the restaurant was empty, and the suspect was long gone.
A surveillance image released by police (pictured above) shows the mystery man appearing to spray-paint a camera while still in his scuba disguise, evidently trying to conceal his identity. Per local media reports in central FL via the Orlando Sentinel and others, the witnesses estimated that he was around 5’10”. But there wasn’t much else to go on besides that, and so far, no arrests have been made.
The Paddlefish opened as usual the day after the heist… and the tourists dining on the deck likely had no idea they were steps away from the scene of Orlando’s splashiest robbery.
Jeez. Wild times we’re living in…
[Image via Orange County Sheriff’s Office]