Diver Ties Up Staff, Steals Thousands from Disney Restaurant

Just after midnight on September 15, 2025, Paddlefish — a seafood restaurant shaped like a steamboat at Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida — was robbed in an audacious, movie-like heist. A man dressed in scuba gear, including a wetsuit and goggles, allegedly swam across a pond, entered the restaurant’s manager’s office where cash was being counted, forced two employees into a corner, and ordered them to close their eyes.

He then tied them up, made off with between US$10,000 and $20,000, and escaped via the same route: returning to the water in scuba gear. Staff were uninjured, and the restaurant reopened later that day. Detailed security images show the suspect spray-painting a security camera while wearing gloves, a mask, and scuba equipment.

The Scene & Modus Operandi

• Entry & Exit: The suspect is believed to have stashed scuba gear near the water, swum up to the restaurant via the man-made body of water, carried out the robbery, then re-donned the gear to swim away.
• Duration: The robbery was over within approximately two minutes, from entering the manager’s office to fleeing the premises.
• Employee Treatment: The employees were told to close their eyes, tied, and ordered to stay in a corner. They were not physically harmed.
• Suspect Description: Wetsuit or similar gear, scuba equipment, gloves, goggles; apparently unarmed. An image released shows the individual spray-painting one of the security cameras. Estimated height around 5′10″.

Amount Stolen & Impact

Estimates of the stolen cash range from $10,000 to $20,000. The restaurant had been closed to guests at the time, so direct customer impact was minimal in terms of injuries or property damage outside the theft.

However, the boldness of the act has caused alarm, and Disney Springs management had only recently announced tightened security protocols, including metal detectors and bag checks at entrances, which were earlier bypassed in some routes.

Investigation Status & Aftermath

• No arrests have been made. The suspect remains at large.
• Law enforcement is reviewing surveillance footage, including images of the suspect spray-painting cameras, footage of the entry and exit timing, and descriptions from witnesses.
• Restaurant operations returned to normal by the afternoon, though the incident is likely to increase scrutiny around restaurant security for businesses at Disney Springs and more broadly around waterfront or water-adjacent venues.

Why It Stands Out

• The method is unusual: swimming in scuba gear, entering via water, tying up employees, and making a quick exit via water again—more reminiscent of a heist film than typical robbery reports.
• It draws attention to security vulnerabilities in waterfront restaurants, especially in places like Disney Springs where water access is part of the ambiance and facility layout.
• The timing is significant: just as Disney Springs had expanded its security screening measures, this incident may pressure further enhancements or reworking of what “secure entrances” mean in such environments.

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