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Credit: Inside the Magic2026 started with a bang at Walt Disney World Resort as multiple Magic Kingdom Park guests, including a minor, were involved in a physical fight shortly after the clock struck midnight. A police report alleged that multiple Disney cast members witnessed an adult male strike a 14-year-old guest at around 1:00 a.m. on January 1, 2026.
New Year’s Fight at Magic Kingdom Park
In the early hours of Thursday morning, police responded to reports of “Battery (Unwanted Touching or Striking Someone)” in the area of Magic Kingdom Park and Disney’s Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World. Scanner monitoring account @WDWActiveCrime shared the report of the initial emergency call on X (formerly known as Twitter):
🚨 Police Alert 🚓 – 1/01/26 1:00 AM
🚨: Battery (Unwanted Touching or Striking Someone) at 📍: Disney’s Magic Kingdom / Contemporary Area
#WaltDisneyWorld #Disney
🚨 Police Alert 🚓 – 1/01/26 1:00 AM
🚨: Battery (Unwanted Touching or Striking Someone) at 📍: Disney's Magic Kingdom / Contemporary Area#WaltDisneyWorld #Disney pic.twitter.com/qtD6qrXf4e— Walt Disney World: Active Calls (@WDWActiveCrime) January 1, 2026
The earliest report revealed very little about the incident or those involved. Emergency calls at Walt Disney World Resort are tracked from centralized addresses rather than the exact location where the response occurred, so it was initially unclear whether the battery incident happened at Magic Kingdom Park or Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
Police Report Published
On January 2, a police report was released regarding the emergency response at Walt Disney World Resort on New Year’s Eve. The document revealed that after arriving at Magic Kingdom Park, Orange County Sheriff’s deputies met with Disney security cast members at their backstage office. The Walt Disney World Resort security team had already separated and detained all parties involved in the battery incident, which occurred near the ferry dock platform.
Three separate Disney cast members provided deputies with sworn written statements alleging that two adult males “aggressively” attacked a minor and his father. All three witnesses agreed to testify in court if necessary.
The father, referred to as Andrew, also provided a sworn statement to law enforcement. He said that he and his 14-year-old son Matthew were waiting on the ferry dock after midnight on New Year’s Eve. A verbal dispute ensued when a man named Christopher physically pushed them aside to allow a female in his group, using a mobility scooter, to pass.
According to Andrew, Christopher’s brother, Jesse, stepped in and restrained him, preventing him from going near Christopher. Christopher responded by punching Matthew, a minor. Several witnesses separately reported that Christopher repeatedly struck the 14-year-old and threw him to the ground as his father struggled to break out of Jesse’s grasp.
In a police statement, Jesse admitted to punching Andrew in the face twice while restraining him. He claimed to have acted in self-defense, but was unable to provide details, evidence, or witnesses to support that version of the events.
Christopher initially denied any wrongdoing, but admitted to punching Matthew when police informed him that multiple witnesses and video footage contradicted his story.
Andrew and Matthew were evaluated by paramedics at the scene, but denied further medical treatment. The father informed deputies that he wished to press charges against Christopher for battery against his 14-year-old son, but declined to pursue charges against Jesse for restraining and punching him.
Deputies arrested Christopher for battery and transported him to the Orange County Booking and Release Center. Walt Disney World Resort security, with assistance from law enforcement, issued trespass warnings to both Christopher and Jesse, banning them from all Disney property.
Walt Disney World Resort has not issued a public statement about the incident.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen at the Central Florida Disney parks? Inside the Magic would love to hear from you in the comments.