Months after a late-night robbery at the Paddlefish restaurant in Disney Springs, the suspect in scuba-style gear is still on the loose, and crucial records remain out of public view. The case has splashed back into the spotlight after a local TV station pushed the state for unredacted files that officials say they cannot release while the investigation is active.
How investigators say the break-in went down
Just after midnight on Sept. 15, 2025, deputies say a person wearing goggles and what looked like a wetsuit walked into the manager’s office at Paddlefish and forced two employees into a corner while they were depositing cash, according to WFTV. A heavily redacted incident report and other accounts indicate the intruder left within minutes with thousands of dollars, and that no one was physically injured during the encounter. Detectives later released images showing a masked figure in dark neoprene gear who appears to spray something toward a camera.
Records request keeps key details under wraps
News 6 says it filed a public records request for unredacted incident reports, photos, and video, but the state has refused to release them, citing an “active criminal investigation,” ClickOrlando reported. The station did obtain and air portions of a 911 call in which an employee told dispatchers, “We were just robbed ... he was fully masked,” and said the suspect used what sounded like a spray and “put trash bags over us and shoved us to the ground.”
Thanks to the heavy redactions, reporters and the public are still in the dark about key questions, including how the suspect may have arrived at the waterfront restaurant and how they vanished so quickly afterward.
Where Paddlefish and Disney come in
Paddlefish, a steamboat-shaped seafood restaurant inside the Disney Springs complex, is operated by Levy Restaurants, which declined to comment at the time of the incident, Fox Business reported. The restaurant reopened to guests the same day.
Local coverage noted that Disney maintains a robust security presence across the shopping and dining district, although much of that protection is not obvious to visitors. After the robbery, authorities said marine and K-9 units searched the surrounding water and shoreline but initially found no trace of the suspect or any discarded scuba gear, according to those local reports.
Possible charges and what is at stake
Public records listed a potential charge of third-degree grand theft, which lines up with a theft amount that can reach into the tens of thousands of dollars, the bracket investigators cited in early reporting, ClickOrlando noted. Under Florida law, theft in that range is typically treated as third-degree grand theft, a felony that can carry up to five years in prison and significant fines, according to legal summaries of the statute.
What investigators want from the public
Authorities continue to ask anyone with information to contact investigators through official tip lines, and local reporting has directed potential witnesses to Central Florida Crimeline and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. With unredacted records still off limits, detectives have released only limited details, and the unusual water focused get in and get out has kept public curiosity high while the case remains open.
