In a shocking turn of events at Disney World—a place meant to be filled with joy—a mom’s day was spoiled when her high-end stroller was stolen while visiting Hollywood Studios.
Maria Gonzalez, a mother from Miami, Florida, was enjoying a family outing when she parked her $1,800 Bugaboo stroller in one of the designated stroller parking areas. To her dismay, when she returned to retrieve it, the stroller was missing. “It was incredibly frustrating to have it taken away from me when I needed it the most,” Gonzalez shared with local news outlet WFTS.
To make matters worse, her wallet, car keys, and her niece’s Epipen were all on the stroller when it was stolen. “I was left with no money and stranded,” she explained. “My husband had to catch the next flight from Miami to help us out.”
Disney security reviewed surveillance footage and identified a woman pushing her own child in a stroller as the alleged thief. Maria and her husband posted a screenshot from the security video on Facebook, urging anyone with information to come forward.
Meanwhile, in Texas, a woman named Sarah Mitchell purchased the stolen stroller through a Facebook group for $500. However, the transaction took a bizarre turn when the thief contacted her, requesting the stroller be returned. “She must have seen Maria’s post and panicked,” Mitchell recounted. After a request to UPS was made to return the stroller, it became clear that Gonzalez’s stroller was indeed the one in question.
Mitchell reached out to Gonzalez upon realizing the stroller she was about to buy was stolen. “She told me it still had the clips and tie wraps with her name on it. I recognized it immediately,” said Gonzalez. Currently, the stroller’s whereabouts remain unclear.
Thanks to the vigilant online community, authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a woman named Lisa Carter, who is believed to be the individual in the surveillance video and the one who attempted to resell the stroller. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is also investigating Carter for additional thefts involving luxury strollers at Disney.
For parents who have navigated Disney with stroller-aged children, you know how vast the stroller parking areas can be. In the excitement of the day, it’s easy to forget personal belongings, especially when using Disney’s Magic Band system for purchases. It’s unfortunate that someone would take advantage of such a situation.
Gonzalez expressed her disappointment, stating that it was less about the stroller and more about the betrayal from another mother. “She completely ruined our day,” she lamented. “My husband had to fly in to save us, and we had to cut our trip short. Our vacation was a disaster.”
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In summary, a mom’s trip to Disney turned sour when her stroller was stolen, leading to an investigation and an arrest warrant for the alleged thief. The incident highlights the vulnerabilities parents face while navigating theme parks with young children.