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Credit: Video Screenshot, TikTok, @bentonharborbutcherNew footage shows a bystander rescuing a little boy who climbed or hopped over a fence to swim in a pond in the Canada World Showcase Pavilion at EPCOT. The initial video, which showed the young guest swimming in the restricted waterway, amassed millions of views and sparked a debate about the parents’ responsibility for their child’s actions.
Child Jumps Into a Pond at EPCOT
On October 28, Inside the Magic reported on this video posted by TikTok user @bentonharborbutcher. It shows a guest (at the time, their age was unclear) wearing sensory-friendly headphones, jumping into a fenced-off spring in the Canada EPCOT World Showcase Pavilion. Other visitors speculated that the swimmer was neurodivergent due to the noise-canceling headwear.
@bentonharborbutcher Was at the Canadian part of Epcot and saw this random chance encounter#autism #water#swimming
The video garnered thousands of comments and inspired a debate about parenting at Walt Disney World Resort. Some Disney Parks fans blamed the guest’s caretakers for not keeping a closer eye on him and said the family should be banned from Disney property. Others offered empathy for the parents and said it’s impossible to keep an eye on neurodivergent children 100% of the time–especially when some kids are known to elope in a matter of seconds.
New Footage Shows Bystander Taking Action
Walt Disney World Resort hasn’t issued any public statements about the situation, but a new video from @bentonharborbutcher shows that a bystander rescued the young child from the water:
@bentonharborbutcher
Several commenters alleged that Disney cast members were on the scene, and instructed guests not to interfere. However, the man in the video reportedly ignored their instructions and climbed over the fence to pull the boy from the water.
“For all the people that think we are the parents of this child we are not,” @ashleydavis7243 commented. “We saw him in the water and my husband went against the Disney employee’s recommendation and got him out. I then held him while my husband jumped back over the fence to lift him over. The parents showed up shortly after the video ends.”
Multiple users verified this account and confirmed that the boy’s parents didn’t arrive until after he was pulled out of the water.
“His parents actually werent there at all thats me and my bfs parents (my bfs dad pulled him out),” @kylienoel.le wrote. “The kids parents took several more minutes to finally come over once he was out of the water.”
“I happen to know the people who saved this boy and they are not the parents,” said @akbass79. “They happened to be in the right place at the right time and acted quickly to jump the fence and save this boy. The parents arrived from somewhere nearby shortly after.”
Despite pleas from Disney Parks fans, the family reportedly didn’t face consequences from Walt Disney World Resort.
“They weren’t banned,” @kylienoel.le continued. “They were sitting next to us at dinner an hour later and he had a whole new Disney outfit on.”
Disney Parks Fans Weigh In
Unsurprisingly, the new footage sparked additional commentary from Disney Parks fans. Once again, many slammed the parents for losing track of the child for so long.
“If you’re not able to protect your child perhaps stay home…,” @badcat9227 commented. “Thank goodness he could swim, thank goodness something worse didn’t happen. Thank goodness a helpful adult was present.”
“It’s not that hard to keep an eye on your kids,” said @vixy_lix. “This shouldn’t ever happen.”
Still, others said the additional footage didn’t mean the boy’s parents didn’t try their best to prevent the situation.
“As the parent of an autistic eloper, they are fast,” @fwtwinmom wrote. “They get away from you within a second. Panicking in a situation like this would more than likely terrify the child in the water. You want the child to come to you and out of harm. There definitely could have been negligence that lead to the child in the water, but most of the time it’s literally the extent of a child letting go of your hand and going around a corner. It’s scary, humiliating, and keeps you from ever wanting your child to experience the outside world. And the judgmental comments don’t help. We already feel like failures most days.”
Should Disney Do Something?
Some social media commenters said it was Walt Disney World Resort’s responsibility to protect waterways from children who may elope from their parents and jump into the water.
“It is definitely the parent’s responsibility, but it is should also be Disney’s responsibility to make enclosures like this more special needs friendly (specifically to the autistic community where they are drawn to water),” @realdeal2890 argued.
However, many Disney Parks fans said the fence should’ve been adequate protection, and placed the responsibility solely on the boy’s parents.
“No, no it is not Disney’s responsibility,” @lexussaunders replied. “It is 100% the parents. The world does not need to make everything specific to every other person.”
“There’s a whole fence,” @pelican_productions agreed. “At that point it’s solely on the parents.”
What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen another Disney Park guest do? Share your story with Inside the Magic in the comments!