Man Accused of Stealing Buzzy's Clothing from Disney World Arrested

[glawio]

So in regards to police reports saying Buzzy was stolen,

Either other people at Disney freaked out that the animatronic was stolen and filed the report not knowing that another department had removed him, or the police themselves heard all the rumors flying around and mentioned in the report that Buzzy is “believed to be stolen” but never actually outright confirmed it as a statement, right?

Because if so then that still isn’t confirmation that Buzzy was in fact stolen.

I still find it highly unlikely. Anyone who attempted it would have had to have a team plus tons of equipment plus a vehicle backstage to transport Buzzy out.

He is confirmed stolen by the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Not rumored or believed to be stolen, but stolen. Here's the quote from the article:

“Yes, the animatronic is stolen. However, that is still a very active investigation and we do not have additional details at this time,” investigators at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office told Orlando Rising.

Looks like he was pretty much just unscrewed and sliced out.

This is the part that always gets me...I dismantle a lot of heavy machinery regularly at my job, and I find it hard to imagine someone just unscrewing him, since he was designed to be on the control arm and move around a ton, nonstop, every day for years. I know he was able to be taken apart for repair and whatnot, but I can't imagine someone going in and being able to simply unscrew him. I feel like the command seat would have been bolted to the arm.

I wish whoever had gone in there and taken this video got some better shots of the platform so I could have an easier time with my armchair analysis.

 

[GhostlyGoofy]

He is confirmed stolen by the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Not rumored or believed to be stolen, but stolen. Here's the quote from the article:






This is the part that always gets me...I dismantle a lot of heavy machinery regularly at my job, and I find it hard to imagine someone just unscrewing him, since he was designed to be on the control arm and move around a ton, nonstop, every day for years. I know he was able to be taken apart for repair and whatnot, but I can't imagine someone going in and being able to simply unscrew him. I feel like the command seat would have been bolted to the arm.

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I wish whoever had gone in there and taken this video got some better shots of the platform so I could have an easier time with my armchair analysis.

That second picture looks pretty clean. Maybe it's possible wdw employees cleaned up the base of the arm after a sloppy hackjob theft??


Come on OCSO give us some deets!!

 

[Tom Morrow]

He is confirmed stolen by the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Not rumored or believed to be stolen, but stolen. Here's the quote from the article:






This is the part that always gets me...I dismantle a lot of heavy machinery regularly at my job, and I find it hard to imagine someone just unscrewing him, since he was designed to be on the control arm and move around a ton, nonstop, every day for years. I know he was able to be taken apart for repair and whatnot, but I can't imagine someone going in and being able to simply unscrew him. I feel like the command seat would have been bolted to the arm.

View attachment 379799
View attachment 379800

I wish whoever had gone in there and taken this video got some better shots of the platform so I could have an easier time with my armchair analysis.

Thanks. The only quote(s) I had seen before seemed to suggest they heard Buzzy was stolen but not confirming it.

To me the most likely culprit is the GotG construction crew. They’re right next door, have granted backstage access, have the manpower, equipment, and vehicles to pull off the heist.

 

[glawio]

That second picture looks pretty clean. Maybe it's possible wdw employees cleaned up the base of the arm after a sloppy hackjob theft??


Come on OCSO give us some deets!!

I have been wondering a lot about this. We saw there was some hydraulic fluid on the stage that must have squirted outta him, and according to (albeit unreliable) sources there was more. So it was cleaned up? By who? It was definitely cleaned up by someone after the theft

Why would they clean it up if this was a crime scene? Shouldn't they leave it how it is? How was someone able to go back in and get footage afterward if this was a crime scene? Why didn't they lock it or close it off..?

Also a noteworthy to me is that the exit signs are on in the post-Buzzy footage and that the spotlight isn't on his former perch any more...

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

So, Cranium Command hasn't had an actual inspection in a decade now. They're not using the theatre for the Play Pavilion. How much do you guys wanna bet that the place stays mostly intact through construction? If the conditions aren't too bad, not much work would be required to bring it up to code. I can't imagine them being forced to tear it up and make major improvements, and I don't think they'd want to shell out the extra money to take it down if it wasn't necessary.

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

Why would they clean it up if this was a crime scene? Shouldn't they leave it how it is? How was someone able to go back in and get footage afterward if this was a crime scene? Why didn't they lock it or close it off..?

You do know that leaving that oil sit there would be a fire hazard, right? Cops got photos, they don't need to leave the scene frozen like that forever. You don't leave the body lay on the ground until the case is solved in the event of a murder, do you?

 

[glawio]

So, Cranium Command hasn't had an actual inspection in a decade now. They're not using the theatre for the Play Pavilion. How much do you guys wanna bet that the place stays mostly intact through construction? If the conditions aren't too bad, not much work would be required to bring it up to code. I can't imagine them being forced to tear it up and make major improvements, and I don't think they'd want to shell out the extra money to take it down if it wasn't necessary.

I was wondering if the reason they refused to hand over the CC theater and Body Wars is that they were part of the Buzzy investigation

 

[glawio]

You do know that leaving that oil sit there would be a fire hazard, right? Cops got photos, they don't need to leave the scene frozen like that forever. You don't leave the body lay on the ground until the case is solved in the event of a murder, do you?

I was thinking of the fluid as being blood in a crime scene rather than an entire body. But yeah, wouldn't make sense. I'm not trying to start an argument, just kind of putting my thoughts out there, my apologies

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

I was thinking of the fluid as being blood in a crime scene rather than an entire body. But yeah, wouldn't make sense. I'm not trying to start an argument, just kind of putting my thoughts out there, my apologies

I understand. Just putting that out there.

 

[GhostlyGoofy]

Thanks. The only quote(s) I had seen before seemed to suggest they heard Buzzy was stolen but not confirming it.

To me the most likely culprit is the GotG construction crew. They’re right next door, have granted backstage access, have the manpower, equipment, and vehicles to pull off the heist.

I dont know about that. With Ratatouille, GE, the Star Wars Hotel, SSE Refurb, MMRR, there's so much construction jobs to potentially get hired back on.

Wouldn't be smart to risk giving up steady work like that if you're a construction worker.

This is pretty brazen. I'd say it's some of these urbex people that have had success getting other things out of the park in the past.

Of course I am just speculatin'

 

[HMFan999]

We already know that he created fake IDs, creating fake authorization papers for removing materials probably wouldn't be that much more difficult. Having worked in maintenance he probably had a pretty good idea what they should look like. Go in at night, cut him out, cover him up with some random junk and then drive out. Even if security opened the back of the van I doubt they'd dig through everything back there. Unless I'm mistaken, nothing like this has ever happened so checking for stolen AAs probably wasn't high on security's priority list.

 

[Thelazer]

We already know that he created fake IDs, creating fake authorization papers for removing materials probably wouldn't be that much more difficult. Having worked in maintenance he probably had a pretty good idea what they should look like. Go in at night, cut him out, cover him up with some random junk and then drive out. Even if security opened the back of the van I doubt they'd dig through everything back there. Unless I'm mistaken, nothing like this has ever happened so checking for stolen AAs probably wasn't high on security's priority list.

They check things going IN, more than they check things going out.

 

[Tom Morrow]

We already know that he created fake IDs, creating fake authorization papers for removing materials probably wouldn't be that much more difficult. Having worked in maintenance he probably had a pretty good idea what they should look like. Go in at night, cut him out, cover him up with some random junk and then drive out. Even if security opened the back of the van I doubt they'd dig through everything back there. Unless I'm mistaken, nothing like this has ever happened so checking for stolen AAs probably wasn't high on security's priority list.

That’s true, but I still just don’t see Spikes being able to cut Buzzy out from 10 feet in the air and carry him out. He was the size of an adult human and probably at least 200 pounds if you include the chair.

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

Wonders as a whole has been a huge place for looting as of late. Within the last year or so, pretty much anything not nailed down that was left has been lifted. I think it just caught everyone off guard when someone had the balls to go from taking small signs to an entire animatronic

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

And not that I support theft, but the fact that Disney destroyed everything remaining in Body Wars last March that wasn't marked for archives kinda gives me the thought process that at least what was stolen is most likely in a better home.

 

[HMFan999]

That’s true, but I still just don’t see Spikes being able to cut Buzzy out from 10 feet in the air and carry him out. He was the size of an adult human and probably at least 200 pounds if you include the chair.

It definitely would have taken a team, but we've already seen that he had willing accomplices.

 

[HMFan999]

I hate to give people false hope, but there's a decent chance Buzzy has been recovered. It's obvious that Spikes wasn't exactly a criminal mastermind and the police have been in contact with at least some of the people he sold to. Whoever bought Buzzy sure as heck didn't chop him up for spare parts, so he'd have just been sitting in a collection somewhere, which the police would have seized if found. He may sit in an evidence locker for a few years while the case is prosecuted, but he would eventually be turned back over to Disney.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I hate to give people false hope, but there's a decent chance Buzzy has been recovered. It's obvious that Spikes wasn't exactly a criminal mastermind and the police have been in contact with at least some of the people he sold to. Whoever bought Buzzy sure as heck didn't chop him up for spare parts, so he'd have just been sitting in a collection somewhere, which the police would have seized if found. He may sit in an evidence locker for a few years while the case is prosecuted, but he would eventually be turned back over to Disney.

That's right. He's sitting right now in a police evidence locker...

 

[HMFan999]

That's right. He's sitting right now in a police evidence locker...

I mean... it's Florida, so you're probably not wrong...

 

[GhostlyGoofy]

I hate to give people false hope, but there's a decent chance Buzzy has been recovered. It's obvious that Spikes wasn't exactly a criminal mastermind and the police have been in contact with at least some of the people he sold to. Whoever bought Buzzy sure as heck didn't chop him up for spare parts, so he'd have just been sitting in a collection somewhere, which the police would have seized if found. He may sit in an evidence locker for a few years while the case is prosecuted, but he would eventually be turned back over to Disney.

Do you think we're going to hear an actual announcement from Orange County Sheriff or too soon for that?