Authorities in Orange County, Florida, confirmed Wednesday that a fifth person has died at Walt Disney World in less than a month, according to the New York Post.
The most recent incident occurred on Nov. 8 at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and was first reported by the X account “Walt Disney World: Active Calls,” which tracks real-time police activity throughout the park. It follows a series of four other deaths at the Florida resort in recent weeks.
Three of those deaths happened within a 10-day span in October. The first occurred on Oct. 14, when 31-year-old Summer Equitz died by suicide at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. One week later, a man in his 60s experienced a medical emergency at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and later died; he reportedly had a preexisting medical condition, according to the Post.
Later that month, 28-year-old Matthew Cohn also died by suicide after jumping from height at the Contemporary Resort.
A fourth death unfolded on Nov. 2, when a woman in her 60s experienced a medical emergency at Disney’s Pop Century Resort. She died after being transported to a nearby hospital, according to Variety.
The most recent case, considered the fifth in this cluster, took place in early November. A woman in her 40s was taken from the resort to a nearby hospital, where she died, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office reported. No additional details have been released.
Some observers suggested the surge in public awareness may be tied not to a rise in incidents, but to increased online visibility. The Disney Dining blog speculated that “a combination of real-time emergency call tracking, hyper-engaged fan communities and heightened online visibility has brought increased attention to incidents that, in previous years, might not have been widely discussed.”
A similar tragedy occurred across the country on Oct. 6, when a woman in her 60s suffered a medical incident while riding the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland in Anaheim. At the time, theme park expert Dennis Spiegel told the Los Angeles Times that the ride’s safety was not in question, emphasizing Disney’s transparency and strong safety record.
“It’s much safer to ride Space Mountain or any ride at Disneyland for a month straight than to drive one day on the 405 Freeway,” he said.
Since its opening in 1971, 68 people have died at Walt Disney World, the Post reported, with most cases attributed to natural causes involving both visitors and employees.
Between both United States-based parks, the National Enquirer reported there have been over 100 fatalities at Disney World and Disneyland since 1971.