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Credit: UniversalTens of millions of people visit Universal Orlando Resort every year and spend time in Universal Studios, Universal Islands of Adventure, Volcano Bay water park, and CityWalk. Between the two theme parks and the water park, there are dozens of rides to enjoy, including VelociCoaster, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, Revenge of the Mummy, Men in Black Alien Attack, E.T. Adventure, and more.
Over the years, the Universal Orlando Resort has gone from a secondary theme park to one of the top theme parks in the world. Its water park attracts thousands, and CityWalk is full of amazing shopping and dining.
Related: Universal Abruptly Changes Entire Resort System, Borrows Idea From Disney World
Despite millions of guests enjoying the park, there are sometimes those who visit who may have intentions that are not so pure. And, according to one TikToker, she was kicked out of Universal after reporting one such guest.
TikToker BookAsh (@realpainintheash) said that she and her husband were visiting Universal Orlando Resort when she noticed something disturbing. She said that they were going to enjoy some pizza when she noticed a man following a group of “juvenile females”, but more than that, he was recording them. She said that he was following the young girls for approximately 15 minutes.
Ash said that she reported the man to Universal team members, who appeared “alarmed” by what she told them. The team members escalated the incident to their supervisor, who then informed the Orlando Sheriff’s Office.
Ash did not solely rely on the team members and supervisors. She said that she also recorded the man and his behavior. She took that video and showed the parents of some of the children who were being filmed. The team members, their supervisors, and Universal Security kept an eye on the man, making sure he did not escalate the situation.
Unfortunately, the Sheriff’s Office didn’t appear to take her concerns very seriously. Ash said that when they finally arrived on-scene, they attempted to blow the whole thing off. She said one officer even asked, “So what are you hoping is gonna happen here?” She was absolutely shocked by their response.
Ash said that the officer told her that it was not illegal for the man to film in public, even if he was filming juveniles. He also said that, since the girls were not undressed or in compromising positions, there was no expectation of privacy on their part. The officer further told her that he could ask to see what the man had on his phone, but the man did not need to cooperate.
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This is where things took a terrible turn for Ash and her husband, and they ended up getting kicked out of the resort.
Ash said that a Universal team member began victim-blaming the girls, saying that their parents should have been keeping a better eye on them. She said that her husband raised his voice and said a few expletives while defending the young girls. That’s when Universal and the Sheriff’s Office decided that the problematic man did not need to be removed; the people watching out for the young girls did.
You can watch Ash’s disturbing story below.
@realpainintheash We honestly thought @UniversalStudiosOrlando would do a better job of at least ✨trying✨ to protect small humans.
Many of the commenters were distressed and disgusted by how Universal’s team members handled the situation. They were shocked that reports of a possible pedophile were not taken more seriously. They said that because Universal is considered a private business, they had every right to confront the man’s questionable behavior, and they had a moral responsibility to ask him to leave.
Do you think Universal and its team members handled the situation correctly? What should they have done? Let us know in the comments!