A missing toddler. A frantic, then irate, parent. The situation led to an arrest of an Argentinean man who couldn’t find his toddler daughter where he had left her in a stroller at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Cast Member Spat On After Moving Unattended Child to Safety

Pablo Falabella, 37, was arrested for battery after he was accused of spitting on a Walt Disney World Cast Member during a heated conversation. He became angry at how Disney handled the situation when his child was found unattended in her stroller, according to an arrest report.

His attorney, Luz Root, said they are awaiting the state attorney’s office to make a decision on whether criminal charges will be filed. Root denied Falabella intentionally spat on anyone or did anything else wrong.

“At no point did my client spit on the WDW employee. He was under panic and maybe spit came out of his mouth as he was yelling,” Root said.

The situation began May 7 around 3 p.m. when Disney was alerted about a child left unattended in a stroller in DinoLand U.S.A, according to the arrest report.

“Out of an abundance of caution, a Cast Member (re-located) the child to a nearby air conditioned lobby” of Restaurantosaurus, the arrest report said.

The report said a Disney Cast Member was coordinating with a manager when Falabella appeared “jumping up and down as well as kicking and hitting the wall,” the arrest report said.

The Cast Member tried to calm him down, and that’s when she accused Falabella of spitting in her face multiple times.

“This detail was obviously the most troubling aspect of the altercation described,” the sheriff’s deputy wrote in the report.

The Cast Member said she believed he spat on her intentionally. She said it wasn’t an accident or something that happened because Falabella was upset and animated.

The Cast Member told authorities she knew Falabella was upset because he was worried about his child, and she was just trying to “de-escalate the situation.” She also acknowledged the language barrier — Falabella is a native Spanish speaker — complicated the situation.

Falabella had been on vacation with his wife and two daughters when his wife and elder daughter went ahead on a ride. Falabella was going to child swap his wife afterward, the arrest report said.

The child had been “left unattended for a time (possibly between 15 to 30 minutes) outside of Restaurantosaurus.”

“Pablo stated he had no concerns about the child being there because he assumed there were cameras. He was also under the impression that his wife was with the child,” the arrest report said, noting the apparent miscommunication between Falabella and his wife, though other statements said Falabella knew his wife and eldest child were on a ride.

Root disputed the arrest report’s account. He said the toddler was safe and had not been left alone.

“Most importantly, the baby was not left unattended. He put the baby to sleep in a shaded corner while his wife took their oldest daughter to a ride,” Root said. “His wife was walking back to him and couldn’t find him. He FaceTimed her (for 2 minutes to be exact) and he took a couple of steps to show her the area he was at so they could meet. Then the baby was gone.”

Root criticized Disney’s handling of the situation.

The toddler “was sleeping and unlawfully moved by a Disney employee who didn’t notify anyone. My client and his family thought someone kidnapped their daughter and Disney closed the park at one point while they were looking for her…They had about 15 WDW employees helping them find their baby. Five minutes after searching for her, thinking the worst, they were notified that a WDW employee moved the baby to a restaurant. The WDW employee who took the baby failed to notify the WDW colleagues who were cooperating in the search.”

“What infuriated my client the most is that no one could give him answers as to what’s the protocol when a child goes missing and whether a WDW employee can move a stroller with a baby sleeping without notifying anyone.”

Falabella was trespassed from Disney, the arrest report said, and taken to Orange County Jail after authorities said they found probable cause he spat on the Cast Member.

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