The identity of a man who fell to his death the morning of July 26 at Walt Disney World has been confirmed, along with more details and confirmation of the incident itself.
Tragedy at the Contemporary
Shortly after 5:33 a.m., deputies responded to Disney’s Contemporary Resort for a call about an unresponsive man found on the hotel grounds.
While nothing official had been confirmed by Walt Disney World or local authorities, reports from those at the resort detailed a tragic scene in which a guest had apparently fallen from a balcony along Bay Lake Tower. Since 2009, this building at the Contemporary Resort has primarily been used for the Disney Vacation Club.
According to new correspondence between FOX 35 and the Orange County Medical Examiner, the victim is 39-year-old Jeffrey Vanden Boom from Greendale, Wisconsin. Blunt force trauma is believed to be the cause of death, as he was pronounced deceased at the scene. While many speculate this fall may have been a suicide, these first official reports are now referring to it as an accident.
Guests on Reddit reported getting phone calls announcing a “medical emergency” — and were advised not go out onto their balconies. The 5th-floor sky bridge connecting Bay Lake Tower to the rest of the resort was also closed to guests for a time. Another TikTok user posted a video chronicling the incident.
Disney has not yet responded to or commented on the incident. This is a developing situation, and nothing confirming how this fall happened has been made official yet. Our condolences go out to anyone impacted by this loss.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or chat with a trained counselor through the Lifeline website. In an emergency, call 911 or visit the nearest hospital.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.