Disneyland employee arrested in Toontown explosion

A 22-year-old Disneyland employee has been arrested in connection with the detonation of a so-called dry ice bomb in the park’s Toontown, Anaheim police said Wednesday.

Long Beach resident Christian Barnes, an outdoor vending “cast member,� was booked on suspicion of possession of a destructive device and is being held in lieu of bail of $1 million.

The explosion in a trash can on Tuesday evening forced the evacuation of Toontown. No one was injured, but the explosion caused some brief chaos in a portion of Disneyland popular with young children.

“Barnes is cooperating with investigators and has indicated this is an isolated incident with unanticipated impacts,� Anaheim police Sgt. Bob Dunn said.

Police described Barnes as a vendor who peddled sodas and water on a mobile cart. They did not give a motive for the incident, which did not cause any significant damage.

“We take matters like this very seriously and are working closely with local authorities,� Disneyland spokeswoman Suzi Brown said in a statement.

The dry ice appeared to have been placed in a plastic bottle that was left in a trash can in Toontown. The explosion was confined to the can, according to the Anaheim Police Department.

It does not appear to be connected to similar dry-ice explosions in Anaheim in recent months, Dunn said.

The mixture exploded about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, forcing officials to evacuate people from the area for two hours, police said.

“You wouldn’t expect situations like that coming to a place like this. That is crazy, that’s wild,� said West Covina resident Jonathan Rosario, who was at the park with a toddler as music to the “It’s a Small World� echoed in the background. “It reminds us we all need to do our part to be safe.�

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