A shocking incident unfolded at Disney World's Magic Kingdom when a man assaulted a woman in front of horrified families and young children.
21-year-old Matthew Edward Cameron from Burlington, Massachusetts, was reportedly on a family vacation when he physically attacked a woman in a violent domestic dispute.
Video footage of the scene, which took place on October 19 near a famous hot dog stand named Casey's Corner, shows the aftermath of the incident in which bystanders stepped up to restrain Cameron and pin him to the ground.
Highlights
- Matthew Edward Cameron, 21, arrested for assaulting woman at Disney World.
- Incident shocked families; bystanders restrained Cameron near Casey's Corner.
- Victim, wearing Minnie Mouse hairband, bled due to being punched in the face.
- Cameron charged with domestic battery, possibly attacked his mom and sister.
Disney's security team quickly took over and handed Cameron to Orange County police officers, who arrested him at 9 pm that night.
Disney World guests were forced to pin down a man who punched a woman in the face, causing her to bleed and leading to his arrest
Image credits: Disney World
The attacked woman, wearing a Minnie Mouse-inspired hairband and a gray Mickey sweater, is seen holding tissues against her nose, which is bleeding, presumably due to being punched in the face by the 21-year-old.
The person who recorded the video told media outlets that the fight happened due to a "domestic-related incident between two family members," but did not explain further, not having been able to discern further details from the discussion that led to the fight.
Image credits: Orange County Sheriff's Dept.
According to bystanders, Disney's staff mobilized to form a "wall" around the incident to dissuade onlookers from participating in the chaos or ganging up on Cameron, who several attendants had already subdued.
Image credits: WDWMagic
"Let security handle it!" a woman is heard screaming as the sound of children crying and people screeching is heard while security surrounds the attacker. "Everybody needs to stand back!"
"This guy punched a girl," another person says, while others are heard telling their children to leave and head somewhere else.
Matthew Cameron was arrested on domestic battery charges, and while the victims have not been identified, pictures point toward his mother and sister being attacked
Image credits: Daily Mail
Orange County released the mugshot of the 21-year-old after filing domestic battery charges against him.
The identity of the victim has not been confirmed, but the family of the attacker has been identified as Edward Cameron, his father; Diane Cameron, his mother; and Sarah Cameron, his sister.
Image credits: Daily Mail
The family had previously visited Disney World on many occasions, sharing many holiday pictures on their social media profiles at various attractions in the park.
The person filming the attack, who is stated to have been a regular visitor, explained how the violent incident was a "rare occurrence" but added that they noticed security being ramped up at Disney venues in recent months.
Matthew and his sister have been regular visitors to Disney World for at least 8 years and were presumably visiting to celebrate Sarah's birthday
Image credits: Daily Mail
Despite numerous publications making her Instagram profile public, the attacker's sister, Sarah, has chosen to keep her page open.
Matthew, on the other hand, has deleted all photos from his profile, although it's unclear if this decision was made to avoid harassment or if it is due to other concerns.
Image credits: Sarah Cameron
Sarah has photos with her brother, a tiny kid at the time, having fun at Disney World as far back as 2016, with her stating that "she'd rather have [Matthew] than anyone else as [her] brother," as the pair posed in front of Disney World's trademark castle.
Recent photos show that the family went on their trip seemingly to celebrate Sarah's birthday. She captioned a post uploaded on October 21 as a "very merry unbirthday" while posing with the Mad Hatter and Alice from the movie Alice in Wonderland.
Internet sleuths dug into the family's social media accounts and theorized that Matthew suffers from a condition that might've been worsened by the park's loud atmosphere
Image credits: Sarah Cameron
Netizens believed the women being attacked in the video were none other than Matthew's mother and sister, Diane and Sarah, themselves, a fact that has not been confirmed by authorities.
Readers also theorize that Matthew's actions are explained by his suffering from some mental illness.
"As others have commented, he has special needs, and his victims seem to be his mother and sister. Heartbreaking for the family," a reader wrote.
"He is very obviously Special Educational Needs (SEN), and it looks like he comes from a lovely family where he is truly loved," another explained. "Something went wrong; it must have been very upsetting for them all and probably not the first time."
"It's pretty obvious that the women he assaulted are his mom and sister," said one viewer. "The pics allow you to draw that conclusion."
"I completely agree with other comments that he's likely autistic. The sensory overload from Disney probably brought on a meltdown."
According to online court records, Matthew Cameron was released from jail on a $500 bond and is set to face court next January.
"Disney is over," wrote one netizen, echoing the sentiments of those who believed the incident signified a bigger issue with the park's security
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