The illusion of control is part of what makes Disney parks so alluring. Guests expect a carefully curated escape, one where every detail is tightly managed and no surprises—let alone crimes—interrupt the experience. But even in the most orderly environments, dangers can slip through the cracks.
In recent years, Disney parks have seen their share of headline-grabbing incidents. There have been physical altercations, trespassing stunts, and even arrests over smuggled firearms. In one 2022 case, a man attempted to enter Disney Springs with loaded weapons. That incident led to renewed attention on security measures across Disney’s global resorts.
Last month, however, Disneyland Paris found itself at the center of a far more disturbing scenario—one that involved deception, forged documents, and an elaborate mock wedding orchestrated by a known sex offender.
A Staged Wedding That Sparked Immediate Suspicion
Jaskarn “Jacky” Jhaj, a British man registered as a sex offender in the United Kingdom, allegedly posed as a Latvian national to book a luxury “wedding” ceremony at Disneyland Paris. According to French authorities, he spent roughly €130,000 on the event, which included renting Sleeping Beauty Castle, hiring an orchestra, and bringing in hundreds of extras.
The ceremony featured a young girl—reportedly nine years old—wearing a white dress and high heels. She appeared on stage as the so-called bride, sparking alarm among Disney cast members. Staff quickly intervened, shut down the event, and called the police.
Jhaj was taken into custody along with three others: the child’s 41-year-old mother and two Latvian nationals—one hired to play the bride’s father, the other her sister. Authorities later confirmed that the child, a Ukrainian national, had not been harmed or coerced.
French prosecutors charged Jhaj with fraud, identity theft, money laundering, breach of trust, and corruption of a minor. Officials said he used a forged Latvian passport and fabricated production documents to book the event under the pretense of a social media video shoot.
The Whistleblower Who Broke In
What stopped the ceremony wasn’t just internal vigilance. It was also the actions of an outsider: a former Russian paratrooper named Vitalijs, who had been hired to play the bride’s father. According to his account, he only discovered the child’s age hours before the event and immediately withdrew. Still, he traveled to the park and snuck in—without a ticket or pass—to raise the alarm.
“I knew I had to do something,” he told authorities. “I sneaked into Disneyland without a pass.”
Though he didn’t speak English or French, Vitalijs carried a handwritten note reading: “This is not a real wedding. The girl is nine years old!” He handed it to a cast member, who alerted Disney security. The park called local authorities, who responded within minutes.
At the police station, Vitalijs was shown a British passport that had been forged using his photo. He explained that he had unknowingly given the image to a woman in Riga who claimed it was needed for a Disneyland pass.
“Of course, I told the police that it wasn’t me and that it wasn’t my passport,” he said.
Jean-Baptiste Bladier, the Meaux prosecutor, confirmed the child had not suffered “any violence, neither physical nor sexual,” and had “not been forced into playing the bride.”
The event has raised renewed concerns about the vulnerability of even the most heavily curated environments. Disneyland Paris, like other Disney resorts, routinely hosts weddings and private events, though the level of deception used in this case appears unprecedented.
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