Panic erupts at Disney over 'active shooter' report that turned out to be popped balloon

Word of an active shooter at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., caused a commotion Thursday night, but it was actually a false alarm. Authorities said sounds mistaken for gunshots were just a popping balloon.

“ALERT: There is NO active shooter at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom,” said the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in a Thursday X post . “A fight occurred, and a ‘popping’ sound was heard that we believe was a balloon. Guests began running and that’s how the active shooter rumor started. There is no active shooter.”

According to an OCSO incident report cited by FOX 35 Orlando , the fight occurred near the park’s monorail. Deputies responded to multiple 911 calls from the area at around 10 p.m. and posts about the incident began popping up on social media around that time. That’s also the time that the park closes on Thursdays.

Though there were many calls, authorities said information about the incident was vague. People reported “a shooter at Town Square” as well as people running and “something going on” at a bus stop. Investigators found no signs of gunfire. While speaking with passerby at the park, they determined that sounds of “shots” were actually a popping balloon.

Guests were safeguarded as authorities investigated the incident.

Glenn Brady of Kansas, who was visiting the park with his family, said the incident occurred just after a fireworks show ended. Rides were closed but stores were still open.

“We were walking down Main Street, heading out of the park, when we – my family was in one of the stores, and then all of a sudden, people came rushing into the store,” he told FOX 35.

Ana Rosado also shared a video of park goers responding to the incident with ClickOrlando . Breanna Horton, another park-goer, was taking photos with her family when people started running.

“I’ve never seen anything like that at Disney. I’ve never experienced something like that at Disney and we go quite frequently. But it was literally like my husband said, it was like the stampede scene from ‘The Lion King,’ like everyone was running towards us,” said Horton.

However, she said she still feels safe going to Disney.

“We appreciate the immediate response of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to quickly assess and clear the situation,” said Walt Disney World in a statement. “Normal operations have resumed and the park is now closed for the evening.”

Deputies reported that one person involved in the fight was taken to a local hospital and their condition was unknown as of Friday morning, per FOX 35. Officials said no arrests were made and that both parties declined to press charges.