Manhunt for Disney World trespasser captured by bodycam footage

It may be a small world after all, but that doesn’t mean this fugitive was easy to find.

New body camera footage captures Florida deputies’ intense manhunt for a trespasser accused of camping on Walt Disney World’s abandoned Discovery Island back in April.

Richard McGuire, 42, of Mobile, Alabama, was arrested in April for allegedly making an excursion to the former zoological park while the entire resort was closed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The video, released by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and obtained by local outlet WKMG, shows deputies holding guns as they trek through the former park’s decaying buildings and jungle-like trails, at times using machetes to slice through thick brush.

“This is the best game of hide-and-seek ever,” one deputy can be heard joking.

“Dude, this is sketchy,” another responds.

The ground search lasted about an hour the morning of April 30 before deputies gave up, unable to locate the trespasser, though Disney employees kept watch from shore, according to the report.

Around 8 that night, deputies were called back to Walt Disney World when a man who later identified himself as McGuire was spotted in a motorized boat crossing Bay Lake.

He was taken into custody a short time later.

Deputies also spoke to a woman believed to be McGuire’s girlfriend, who acknowledged her beau was on the island to shoot videos for their YouTube channel, the local station reported.

“I told [McGuire], ’Look, if you get in trouble, count me out. I’m not part of it,’” the woman told deputies, according to the report. “I love him, but not that much.”

McGuire was charged with trespassing and barred from Disney properties, the report said.

“I’ve always wanted to go to that island for years and my daughter gave me the motivation behind my mission,” he commented on his own video, more than 16 minutes long, with footage of the adventure. “I’m just glad I was able to take her one time to Disney World before I received a life ban!”

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