Man Arrested After Breaking Into Disney’s California Adventure Park While It’s Closed Due to Coronavirus

Disneyland may be one of the happiest places on Earth, but it’s currently a place where no one is allowed amidst the coronavirus crisis. Despite that rule being in place, an individual still reportedly made their way into the theme park recently. According to PEOPLE, a man was arrested on Sunday night after he allegedly broke into Disney’s California Adventure Park while the location is closed due to the health pandemic.

The publication reported that Jeremiah Smith, 18, was cited for trespassing after he was allegedly seen by Disney security jumping a fence to get into the California Adventure Park at around 10:24 p.m. local time. PEOPLE received this information from a public information officer for the Anaheim Police Department, who also told the publication that officers allegedly found Smith after 11 p.m. in a backstage construction area in the park. Smith was subsequently arrested, cited for trespassing, but released later on Sunday. He reportedly has a future court date for the alleged transgression, where he can either be fined or sentenced for a small amount of jail time. The outlet reached out to a representative for Disneyland for comment but did not receive a response at the time of the article’s publication.

Disney parks in California, and around the world, are currently closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. It was previously announced that parks in California would be closed on March 14, after Governor Gavin Newsom released an executive order that prohibited gatherings of 250 people or more.

“While there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 at Disneyland Resort, after carefully reviewing the guidelines of the Governor of California’s executive order and in the best interest of our guests and employees, we are proceeding with the closure of Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, beginning the morning of March 14 through the end of the month,” a Disneyland spokesperson said in a statement at the time.

“The Hotels of Disneyland Resort will remain open until Monday, March 16 to give guests the ability to make necessary travel arrangements; Downtown Disney will remain open,” the statement continued. “We will monitor the ongoing situation and follow the advice and guidance of federal and state officials and health agencies. Disney will continue to pay cast members during this time.”

While Disneyland and other parks were set to reopen at the end of March, due to the ongoing health crisis, it was announced that they would remain closed until further notice. In late March, both Disneyland and Disney World released statements in which they related that their parks would be closed indefinitely. They also reported that they would continue to pay their employees through April 18.