In the spring of 1995, U.S. law enforcement agencies were already on high alert.
Just weeks earlier, a sarin gas attack in Tokyo had shocked the world. Days later, the Oklahoma City bombing would become one of the deadliest domestic terror attacks in U.S. history. Quietly, in the midst of it all, a strange package arrived at Disneyland—prompting a federal investigation few knew was happening.
It was a VHS tape. Its contents were enough to mobilize the FBI.
An Ominous Warning Hidden in Plain Sight
The tape arrived at Disneyland anonymously. Inside was eerie, disjointed footage. Someone wearing rubber gloves manipulated foil-wrapped items from a freezer and placed them into glass jars. Overlaid across the screen were cryptic and disturbing words: “NERVE GAS.” “DEAD GUEST.” The tape also showed an image of the park’s parking lot, a calendar marked April 14, and a ticking clock.
What may sound like the opening scene of a thriller was real enough to prompt the involvement of the FBI, FEMA, and multiple federal agencies. Although no attack occurred, the threat coincided with an already tense national climate. Officials were alarmed—and acted accordingly.
While the public remained unaware, preparations quietly escalated. Then-President Bill Clinton would later confirm that counterterrorism teams had been deployed across the country as a precaution, including to Disneyland. The park enhanced its security during the Easter weekend and began implementing bag checks, which would become standard in years to come.
At the time, public discussion of the threat was deliberately limited. In April 1995, The Washington Post reported that there was debate within the administration over how much to reveal. Officials worried about inspiring hoaxes and “sending teams scrambling around the country every weekend.” Still, they acknowledged that high-profile places like Disneyland routinely attract anonymous threats.
The public wouldn't hear about the 1995 incident again—until a copy of the tape resurfaced in an unlikely place.
A Forgotten Threat Resurfaces in a Thrift Store
Years later, a Portland man named Todd Werkhoven stumbled across the tape at a local Goodwill store. Curious, he uploaded it to his YouTube channel. He had no idea what he was watching at first. “It just felt very heavy and ominous,” he told News6.
Werkhoven had unknowingly uncovered a key artifact in a once-classified investigation.
Around the same time, journalist Mike DeForest filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the FBI seeking more details. He was warned that the process could take years due to the volume and sensitivity of the materials involved.
Disney Parks and Terror Threats: A Pattern Emerges
The Disneyland tape wasn’t an isolated case.
In 2016, the gunman behind Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub shooting initially considered targeting Disney World. He reportedly abandoned the idea after observing the resort’s heightened security.
Six years later, a former Disney World cast member was arrested for issuing a bomb threat to co-workers. And in 2024, a guest was charged after falsely claiming to have a bomb during a monorail security screening.
Murphy allegedly told a security guard his wife had a gun (which she did not), then escalated by claiming he had a bomb. Despite warnings from staff and his wife, he insisted he had a constitutional right to speak freely. The threat delayed monorail operations and prompted a search by bomb-sniffing dogs.
Threats against theme parks, real or false, are taken seriously. That vigilance behind the scenes is ongoing, decades after the 1995 incident.
Did you know about the 1995 terror threat against Disneyland?
