A video shot Thursday from a guest's window at the resort showed police tape and a heavy presence of law enforcement and emergency crews in the hotel's courtyards.
A man died at Disney's Contemporary Resort near Magic Kingdom Park on Thursday, marking the third death at Walt Disney World in less than two weeks. The Orange County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the death to multiple media outlets, but did not mention the cause or the precise timing of the incident.
The medical examiner's office did not return a request for comment from NTD News before publication.
The incident quickly drew the attention of guests and users on social media. A TikTok video shot Thursday from a guest's window at the resort showed police tape and a heavy presence of law enforcement and emergency crews in the hotel's courtyards.
Some guests said they were asked by Disney cast members not to look out their balcony windows as the situation unfolded, Inside the Magic reported.
A guest named Cindy Alford wrote about the incident in a Facebook post, which has since been deleted or modified so that the public can no longer view it. "Something happened in the back of the building with crime scene tape surrounding the water fountain. I don't know if somebody jumped or accidentally fell to their death, but something happened. And they have an employee at every single window to shield you from looking out the back so you can't view," she wrote.
The Contemporary Resort had already gained attention recently following a recent high-profile suicide. On Oct. 14, Summer Equitz, a Disney superfan from the Chicago area, leaped to her death from the resort's iconic A-frame tower.
Inside the Magic reported that Equitz, 31, was married last year, honeymooned at Disney World the prior October, and announced her pregnancy two months later. Her death was witnessed by resort guests, and it remains unclear whether she had delivered her baby.
On Oct. 21, a man in his 60s died at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. The man experienced a medical episode and later died at a local hospital after emergency crews responded to a 911 call at 7:30 a.m., the Orange County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) said.
"There are no signs of foul play," an OCSO spokesperson said in a statement sent to multiple news outlets.
The Contemporary Resort, which commands rates exceeding $1,000 per night and is within walking distance of the Magic Kingdom, witnessed a suicide two years prior.
In July 2023, a man was found dead on the grounds of the resort following an apparent suicide. "On July 26, 2023, at 5:33 a.m., deputies responded to the Contemporary Resort after a call came in about a man found unresponsive on the hotel grounds. He was pronounced deceased on scene," a police statement cited by Fox News read.
Disney's most iconic hotel, the Contemporary Resort, famously includes a monorail line running through the lobby and is home to its original character dining restaurant, Chef Mickey's, established in 1977.
Disneyland in California has also seen tragedy recently. On Oct. 6, a woman in her 60s was found unresponsive after riding the Haunted Mansion attraction, and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
In November 2023, a 24-year-old man jumped to his death from the Pixar Pals parking structure, marking the third such suicide at Disneyland parking structures in under a year.
Anaheim police identified the victim as Jonah Alexander Edwards. Previous incidents included the deaths of Marney Schoenfeld in February 2023 and Christopher Christensen in December 2022, both occurring in parking structures.