Potential tragic news today at Walt Disney World Resort as reports suggest that a visitor at Bay Lake Tower has fallen to their death. The sad information was released to Twitter by user The Rogue Attraction and later published by Inside the Magic. Initial reports claim that while attempting to use the 5th-floor bridge that connects Bay Lake Tower to the Contemporary Resort, Guests were stopped by emergency service personnel and not allowed to cross due to an apparent suicide.
Sadly, Walt Disney World is no stranger to death, including suicide. The same can be said for the Contemporary Resort. As this isn’t the first time an apparent suicide has occurred at this location, Guests may be surprised to learn the frequency of attempts to end life here. A similar situation happened at the Contemporary, which sits right outside of Magic Kingdom, in 2020 when a 22-year-old woman jumped to her death from the 4th floor of the Resort.
“There’s this weird phenomenon where people who are severely depressed but want to have that one last good happy family memory will go to Walt Disney World. They’ll deliberately book a room at the Contemporary Resort, which is 14 stories tall. And after that happy family time they will throw themselves off the building.” – a quote from the New York Post.
The current details surrounding this most recent event at the Contemporary Resort remain quiet. Although it isn’t entirely uncommon for Disney World to keep matters like this away from the press, there is little information to report outside of what is being shared on social media. Guests at the Contemporary did also tweet that they were not allowed to enter the bridge to Bay Lake Tower as security and other crews were still cleaning and investigating the scene.
However, corroborating first-hand accounts on Reddit further confirm the story’s validity. Guests staying at the Resort report receiving a call early in the morning notifying them of a medical emergency and advising not to enter their balcony areas. The site of the apparent suicide was riddled with law enforcement and emergency services.
Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort opened in 2009 at the Walt Disney World Resort. Although meant to serve as a stand-alone Resort dedication to Disney Vacation Club members, it is widley considered part of Disney’s deluxe Resort offering that famoulsy sits upon the monorail to Magic Kingdom. A large bridge reached from the 5th floor of Bay Lake Tower to the Grand Canyon Concourse of the main building providing easy access to shopping and dining options available at the Contemporary.
There has been no official statement by Walt Disney World or local authorities, so it is difficult to suggest that the fall resulted from a suicide attempt. However, many Guests indicate that the action that led to the death of a Disney World Guest was intentional. We will update this story as more details are released to the public.
As the Disney World Resort is home to themeParks such as EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom (as well as water Parks and Disney Springs), it’s difficult to understand why anyone would consider suicide at “The Most Magical Place On Earth.” Although there isn’t extreme clarity regarding what happened at this specific Disney World Resort hotel today, suicide’s do happen at and around Disney Theme Parks. As the United States boasts one of the highest rates for suicide attempts and ideation in the world, we want to make sure that our readers have the proper resources.
