Former Cast Member arrested by Homeland Security at the U.S.-Canada border for making Bomb Threat at Magic Kingdom

A 22-year-old Canadian man has been arrested on an outstanding warrant for allegedly making a bomb threat at Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in 2019.

Credit: DisneyWorldPhotoImages

Matthew Carney was arrested at the Ogdensburg, New York, Port of Entry, at the United States-Canada border by agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, according to a news release from United States Customs and Border Protection. Border agents confirmed the outstanding warrant for Carney’s arrest out of Florida and transferred him to the Ogdensburg Police Department.

Carney was working as a Cast Member at the Walt Disney World Resort when he allegedly made the bomb threat at the Florida parks. He is currently in the custody of the St. Lawrence Sheriff’s Office.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release reads as follows:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Ogdensburg Port of Entry arrested a 22-year-old male, Canadian citizen who had an outstanding felony warrant out of Florida.

On May 16, CBP officers encountered a passenger vehicle occupied by a Canadian Citizen traveling alone. During the inspection process, it was discovered that the driver of the vehicle, Matthew Carney, had an active National Crime Information Center (NCIC) warrant issued by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, in Florida for issuing a bomb threat to Disney World staff. The warrant stemmed from an incident in 2019, while Carney was employed by Walt Disney World.

“This incident highlights the continued work that CBP does alongside our many law enforcement partners, playing a vital role in maintaining the safety of our communities,” said Ogdensburg Port Director Thomas Trimboli.

In 2019, Carney, age 19 at the time, allegedly told a security guard standing outside Magic Kingdom at Disney World “I have a bomb.” He further told the security guard, “I am going to blow up the castle,” according to a report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Disney World Security officer/Credit: HowToDisney

The security guard took Carney to her manager at Magic Kingdom, and he made another statement to the manager about his desire to “blow up the castle.” In the Sheriff’s Office report, the Security manager said that Carney “had a straight face, was not laughing, and appeared to be serious while making these statements.”

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When Carney was searched by an Orange County deputy, he was found to have two cell phones on his person: one that was on and one that was “not operable.”

Credit: Flickr

Charges were officially filed by the State Attorney’s Office more than a year after the alleged bomb threat took place, in August 2020 according to court records online.

Late Tuesday afternoon, an attorney representing Carney filed a motion for him to be released on his own recognizance.

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Credit: Disney Parks

The attorney’s motion states that Carney was participating in Disney’s internship program at the time the alleged incident took place and that he was not arrested during that investigation. The attorney also asserts in her motion that Carney had “no knowledge” of any outstanding warrant for his arrest, that he had no knowledge of the delayed filing of charges by the State Attorney’s Office, and that he has graduated from college since the alleged incident took place.