2 Connecticut tourists OK after robbery at Disney World
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) -- Two tourists from Connecticut were abducted at gunpoint, robbed and beaten early Sunday after a shopping trip in Walt Disney World, but they were not seriously injured, authorities said.
Justin Stetzer, 20, and Jessica Dellacamera, 20, who are both from Branford, Conn., were walking in a parking lot after shopping at Downtown Disney shortly after midnight, when one of three men in a black Volkswagen Jetta, asked them a question, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
They were forced into the car when they stopped to answer, the sheriff's office said. Stetzer and Dellacamera were driven to an ATM machine at a gas station, where Stetzer was forced to withdraw money, the sheriff's office said.
The tourists were ultimately taken to a remote location near an Osceola County landfill, forced from the car and beaten, authorities said. They fought back and Stetzer was struck in the head with a handgun.
During the struggle with the robbers, the gun went off. The robbers apparently panicked and fled, the sheriff's office said.
Stetzer and Dellacamera walked to nearby home and called the police. Authorities described their injuries as "bumps and bruises" and said Stetzer suffered two cuts on his head where he was hit with the gun. The injuries did not appear to be serious, authorities said.
Disney spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez confirmed that the abduction took place on Disney property and said the company was cooperating with authorities in the investigation.
"No one should have to go through an experience like this," said Suarez. "We are cooperating fully with law enforcement with its investigation and have offered assistance to our guests."
A telephone page left with the sheriff's office spokesman was not immediately returned.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
