Florida Man Arrested for Trying to Live Out His Quarantine Dreams at Disney Island

By Ammar Haziq  •  04 May 2020 in News

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The COVID-19 pandemic has made the world a little quiet. Everyone is staying at home – shopping malls are deserted, theme parks left unattended. Although it’s not exactly an apocalypse, some individuals have taken the opportunity to live out their dreams by moving into deserted locations as if they were the last person on earth.

A small island in Bay Lake, Florida in the US was originally a site of a Disney attraction called Treasure Island, later renamed Discovery Island, a little Disney-run zoo – part of Walt Disney World’s property.

Discovery Island opened until 1999 before it was shut down, likely due to high maintenance cost and low attendance. Since it’s shut down, Disney has abandoned the island, which still houses old attractions, without the animals of course.

The pandemic has left the rest of Walt Disney World near the island unattended, making the site a spot for potential exploration for the mischievous or the bored. That’s precisely what happened when a 42-year old man was found living out his quarantine dreams on the deserted faux tropical island.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Richard McGuire was found by the police on Thursday. He was reportedly living there since Monday, with the intention of staying there for a full week. Police said the man claimed he was unaware the island was on a restricted area on private, Disney property. “Richard stated that he was unaware of that and that it looked like a tropical paradise,” said the arrest report.

When the police found McGuire, they used a public address system to inform him that he would have to leave, but he stayed anyway, so the police arrested him. According to a Disney security representative, McGuire was seen using one of Disney’s boats.

It sounds like McGuire had a good time and was living everybody’s quarantine dreams – having a tropical paradise all to yourself!

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