Two tourists abducted, robbed after leaving Downtown Disney

[haveyoumetmark]

Orlando is becoming more and more ghetto....

True Dat. :lookaroun
Although, I guess that happens with any major population growth.

Who agrees with me that adding this BET Soundstageclub to PI was a very bad idea because it attracts that ghetto crowd you used to see at Universal?

Agree to disagree. The BET Soundstage club appeals very much to young people, not "that ghetto crowd you used to see at Universal", very much in the same way that all of City Walk attracts the young crowd.

 

[mkt]

The "Ghetto crowd" you speak of is all over Orlando, not just at Citywalk and BET Soundstage.

The problem with the mass movement of people to Orlando from New York, Boston, Detroit, LA, Miami, etc is that not only the good decent people are moving here.

The finks need a place to be as well.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Updated Sentinel Story.....

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...07jun11,0,18594.story?coll=orl-home-headlines
Couple abducted at gunpoint from Disney lot

The 20-year-olds, who are visiting from Connecticut, were not seriously injured.

Etan Horowitz
Sentinel Staff Writer

June 11, 2007

Two young tourists from Connecticut were finishing up the first day of their Walt Disney World vacation just after midnight Sunday when a man in a black car called out to them.

Thinking they were just answering an innocuous question, the couple walked over to the car in the Downtown Disney parking lot. That is when their vacation turned violent.

At gunpoint, Justin Stetzer and Jessica DellaCamera, both 20, were forced inside the Volkswagen Jetta, driven around and then Stetzer was ordered to withdraw money from an automated-teller machine.

After about an hour, the three suspects took Stetzer and DellaCamera to a remote location near an Osceola County landfill, forced them out of the car and beat them.

The couple fought back and the gun discharged during the scuffle, scaring the suspects, who panicked and fled.

"They just thought they were at the end of the road," Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Solomons said of the victims.

Stetzer and DellaCamera, both of North Branford, Conn., walked to a nearby Kissimmee home and called the Osceola County Sheriff's Office. They suffered cuts and bruises but were not seriously injured.

Sunday's incident is the latest in several recent attacks in the tourist area.

On May 30, two Orange County deputies were shot when they interrupted a car burglary in progress at the Caribe Royale Resort on World Center Drive.

On May 14, two armed robbers attacked a German couple staying at a Howard Johnson's motel on International Drive. The robbers forced the man onto the floor and threw a blanket over his head. One of them raped the woman and beat her face and head with a weapon after ordering her to empty the room safe.

That same night, a man staying in an extended-stay hotel on Major Boulevard near Universal Orlando, was robbed by two men who matched the description of the Howard Johnson attackers.

Police are still searching for the suspects in Sunday's attack.

The men left with both the cash and the purchases the couple left behind. Solomons would not disclose the value of the money and items that were stolen.

Stetzer and DellaCamera arrived in Central Florida on Saturday and were traveling with DellaCamera's parents. They were finishing a shopping trip at Downtown Disney when the incident occurred.

Disney spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez would not say which resort the pair was staying at or how much longer they would remain in Florida. She said Disney officials were working with the two "to take care of their immediate needs."

Shoppers at Downtown Disney on Sunday afternoon were not surprised to hear about the abduction.

"Nowadays, I think it could happen anywhere," said Kathy Gallardo of Tampa, standing outside Planet Hollywood.

Erika Hobbs and Henry Pierson Curtis of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Etan Horowitz can be reached at ehorowitz@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5447.

 

[The Mom]

What would you prefer?

To insist on trying to figure out what resort they were staying at like most others in this thread?

To talk about how the gangstas are invading Pleasure Island?

To play CSI : Disney with everyone else in the thread just throwing out random scenarios?

Still better than making a JOKE about a couple of tourists being robbed, abducted, and beaten...regardless of whether or not they were being careless/stupid.

And no, I don't particularly enjoy reading all the speculation as to what really happened. I DO think most forum members are just trying to get more information so they can try to figure out the odds of something similar happening to THEM. The remarks about the area becoming "gangsta" may be a bit out of line, but they also serve to remind people that the WDW area is not all "pixie dust" and happy, smiling, people anymore....if it ever was.

I personally have walked from PI alone to catch a bus late at night, without worrying about my safety. The more I read on this and other boards, the more I think I'll never do it again.

That is what this discussion is really about. None of us (to my knowledge) know the victims; all of us want to know if an area we considered "safe" is now dangerous, or at best, not as safe as we thought.

Locals may view our concerns as a big joke, but most people on this forum are NOT local, and are hoping that the locals will take their concerns seriously, at least when posting.

 

[daklimation]

Who agrees with me that adding this BET Soundstageclub to PI was a very bad idea because it attracts that ghetto crowd you used to see at Universal?

Not at all, there are clubs downtown that are cheaper and closer to the "ghetto crowd".

I'm actually surprised that you don't see things like this at Universal though, their parking structure is so unwelcoming and creepy at night.

 

[nyfrenchy]

Not at all, there are clubs downtown that are cheaper and closer to the "ghetto crowd".

Pleasure Island annual pass costs only $52, ($1 a week!) so I doubt there are cheaper clubs in Orlando for the "ghetto crowd"

 

[beefog]

These things happen, but I would think you should use some common sense and not go over close to a car with a bunch of people in it you don't know. I am from NNJ and everyone knows that if someone ask you for directions or ask you a question from a car. Stay as far away as possible while answering there question. Its all common sense and self survival.

Just use common sense and you will not get yourself into problems like this.

If the couple was trying to buy something from the guy in the Jetta shame on them. They put themselves in a bad position to begin with

 

[nyfrenchy]

I'm actually surprised that you don't see things like this at Universal though, their parking structure is so unwelcoming and creepy at night.

Actually, there has been one shooting in the Universal parking last year (october).

 

[haveyoumetmark]

Not at all, there are clubs downtown that are cheaper and closer to the "ghetto crowd".

I'm actually surprised that you don't see things like this at Universal though, their parking structure is so unwelcoming and creepy at night.

You do see it at Universal. All the time, although it usually isn't as sever as this was. People always get into fights, robbed, and I remember a case where someone was shot.

EDIT: looks like nyfrenchy and I were posting at the same time.

 

[doop]

Terrible story, but I'm glad to hear they weren't seriously injured, thanks for the info.

 

[ImaYoyo]

Pleasure Island annual pass costs only $52, ($1 a week!) so I doubt there are cheaper clubs in Orlando for the "ghetto crowd"

But a lot of the downtown clubs offer no cover (and cheaper drinks too). Free is less than 52 dollars. Just a thought.

 

[fillerup]

Tourist or local - the key is "Situational Awareness". Day or night, Disney or a Walmart parking lot. Be aware of where you are and who's around you.

Before you park, leave the car in gear so the car doesn't unlock - until you're comfortable with your environment. And a dozen other common sense measures that most of you can think of on your own.

Orange Sherriff Kevin Beary took to the microphone recently on the occasion of the Feds sending a special task force to Central Fla because of the crime spike.

Paraphrasing him, he essentially said that - Orange Cty, Orlando residents need to Wake Up!! Local law enforcement can no longer effectively control the crime here. And it's going to get worse.

 

[nyfrenchy]

Paraphrasing him, he essentially said that - Orange Cty, Orlando residents need to Wake Up!! Local law enforcement can no longer effectively control the crime here. And it's going to get worse.

Well the problem is that local law enforcement is too busy seating in front of their computers trolling Craigslist for online prostitution.

 

[morgan22]

Well I have to say it has put a dampener on my excitement for my upcoming trip ... I will be watching over my shoulder at all times and I didn't want to be doing that on vacation - I am a particularly paranoid person and part of the reason I love WDW is because I have always felt safe there. Why do a minority have to spoil the fun for others?

 

[CBOMB]

Whilst I would not seek to minimise the seriousness of what was clearly an awful ordeal, I can't help thinking that the worry or sensationalism this is causing is an indication in itself of how safe WDW actually is.

Yes this is awful. But lets think for a moment about the number of people who inhabit and pass through WDW on a daily basis. Then take this in terms of a year and you will have a very big number. Then have a think about the crime rate and the number of incidents that actually occur. I work in law enforcement, and I can tell you that if my area had the same number of incidents per head of population, I would be absolutely delighted. I agree with the comments that visible security is essentially a superficial comforter for an insecure public, but still, the number of incidents in WDW when considering the number of people is still amazingly low. To hear people say they don't feel safe, and they would even let it cross their minds to question the decision whether to go to Downtown at night just makes me wonder that either people are extremely naive, or come from the most quiet, crime free areas in the world. I would like anybody to put their hand up who comes from a safer area than WDW; I am going to work there.

Excellent points, I think it would be hard to find a much safer place in the world than at WDW.

There are several holes in the story.

Foremost of which is, why did it take over an hour between the alleged kidnapper forcing them to withdraw money from the ATM and then driving them to the landfill.

What happened in the meantime?

I'm also very curious about the other stop at an unknown location, a statement made in the original article. I'm not putting any blame on the victims, I'm just curious.

What would you prefer?

To insist on trying to figure out what resort they were staying at like most others in this thread?

To talk about how the gangstas are invading Pleasure Island?

To play CSI : Disney with everyone else in the thread just throwing out random scenarios?

I think I am definetly leaning towards playing C.S.I. WDW.

 

[WhyteAL]

I stopped reading posts after the second page...but it's not that uncommon. Tourists get robbed all the time. More of a security presence would be an added welcome, but thats not gonna change anything. The Orlando area has had a huge population spurt for the past 5 years. So with added population you get higher economic growth, also higher criminal activity. It was bound to happen unfortunately we like to think disney is this world outside of the real world which is what makes us fell safe and that this disney "magic" will protect us. But that is not so. Being from Miami, we tend to see this more frequently. The best thing to be is aware of your environment and surroundings. Next thing I would like to take the time and point out that when someone refers to seeing "gangsters" in Pleasure island that I have yet to see that. Allow me to explain just becuase you see a bunch of young kids with baggy cloths who are fresh outta high school dosen't mean there "gangsters" on top of that if your from small rural communities in the US you certianly are not used to this "style" of dress. But really, I have never seen any "gangsters" at DTD. I'm not sure if this happened SAT or SUN but I will tell you this SUN morning I went to DTD but the shops were not yet open till 10:30AM and it there was a huge hail storm that came in at about 4PM. So if it was Sun it would have had to happen between those hours, nextly I rarely see during daytime any security officers or sheriffs patrolling the area I usually see them at night. So maybe it would be a little more helpful to have patrol men (and women) in that area on bikes much like you see down in Miami at the beach during the day. Just my opnion. :wave:

 

[WhyteAL]

Who agrees with me that adding this BET Soundstageclub to PI was a very bad idea because it attracts that ghetto crowd you used to see at Universal?

I think your being racist...I have been in there and have not seen a ghetto crowd!

 

[nyfrenchy]

I think your being racist...I have been in there and have not seen a ghetto crowd!

First, hHow dare you accusing me of racism!!!!!!

Second, it's "you are being", "your" is a possessive pronoun not a verb, look it up.

"ghetto crowd" refers to that population of youngsters with a bad attitude and questionable sense of fashion (I really think that men wearing those sorts of "pants" so low to reveal their underwear, that's just plain tasteless), regardless of their race.

 

[ele]

There are several holes in the story.

Foremost of which is, why did it take over an hour between the alleged kidnapper forcing them to withdraw money from the ATM and then driving them to the landfill.

What happened in the meantime?

They could've been trying to wait to get another withdrawel after the 2 hour wait from a atm. The victims might've started to get antzy and fight back. the suspects didn't want to risk waiting any longer to get rid of them. There are alot of reasons why it took them a hour to get rid of the victims i dont like that they stopped at the landfill they are lucky it may not seem it but they are very lucky people.

 

[shoppingnut]

I really think that men wearing those sorts of "pants" so low to reveal their underwear, that's just plain tasteless), regardless of their race.

And they don't even know the real meaning of wearing pants in that fashion, that it comes from prison and shows you belong to someone.