Newly Released Report Details 2024 Case of Autistic New Jersey Man Stranded at Disney World
Deputies said he did not meet the Baker Act standard for involuntary detention, limiting their options.
Overview
- An Orange County Sheriff’s incident report released this week recounts how 23-year-old Adam Castro left a New Jersey group home and reached Orlando using rideshares.
- After he ran out of money at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, staff requested assistance; Disney provided a complimentary night at Art of Animation and then warned of trespass without a paid reservation.
- Deputies determined Castro needed no involuntary hold under Florida’s Baker Act as he was not an immediate danger, and he refused to go to a mental health facility.
- His mother, Amina Castro, who has court-monitored guardianship and had added funds to his debit card, says he ultimately returned to New Jersey by bus after reaching Orlando International Airport.
- She now reports he has left again for Florida and that she cannot get timely updates from police, highlighting gaps between residential care, guardianship authority, and law-enforcement limits.