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Jun 19, 2023

Selfish Parent Abandons Young Child To Ride ‘Harry Potter’ Roller Coaster

in Universal Orlando Credit: Universal A selfish parent allegedly abandoned their young child in order to ride a Harry Potter attraction at Universal Orlando Resort. Since opening in 2010, the

in Universal Orlando

Credit: Universal

A selfish parent allegedly abandoned their young child in order to ride a Harry Potter attraction at Universal Orlando Resort.

Since opening in 2010, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter has proved itself as one of Universal Orlando Resort’s most beloved areas. Today the Resort boasts two separate Harry Potter lands – one at Universal Studios Florida, the other at Islands of Adventure, with Guests able to explore Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley, and more.

The newest addition to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure – rarely boasts a wait time of less than 90 minutes. The same is sure to be true when Universal Orlando Resort opens its third Harry Potter land (heavily rumored to be inspired by the Ministry of Magic, complete with a new Harry Potter roller coaster) at Epic Universe in the summer of 2025.

In the meantime, Guests have five rides to enjoy across the two lands. Unsurprisingly, these all also command long lines, which can become slightly chaotic on busy days at the Parks – which can sometimes lead to some scary situations.

Related: Universal Allegedly Makes Changes To Beloved ‘Harry Potter’ Ride

One Universal Resort Parkgoer recently took to Reddit to share their own scary story from the Park that saw a parent purposely abandon their child to get on a popular Harry Potter attraction.

“Seven years ago on a Friday morning during Halloween, a load of people were lined up for early park admission,” wrote user michagol23. “Once opened, we all bolted for Gringotts, some power walking, some running.”

The incident occurred in 2016, at a time when Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts was still one of the newest rides at Universal Studios Florida – therefore commanding some of the Park’s longest, craziest lines as people raced to experience the new attraction. However, one parent was apparently so determined to get on the Harry Potter roller coaster that they left their child behind.

Related: Is ‘Harry Potter’ Leaving Universal Studios?

“As we get on the ride after passing the main bank atrium, heading into the elevators, we see a panicked kid looking for his mom,” they said. The child, who was apparently seven or eight years old, “claimed his mom ran ahead and he couldn’t catch up.”

Fortunately, the Parkgoer in question took the child into their care. “He came with us through the rest of the queue and we told ride operators,” they said. After the ride, they “waited around the exit to see what happened and sure enough the mom bolted ahead, went on the ride, leaving the kid in the bank.”

Related: Universal Confirms New ‘Harry Potter’ Ride

While this seems like a rare incident, this kind of thing is surprisingly common in theme parks. As we’ve previously reported, a group of adults abandoned all of their children – including a baby, a toddler, and an eight-year-old – in the crowd waiting for World of Color at Disneyland Resort’s California Adventure. The family was later reported to Cast Members after it was discovered that the eight-year-old had been put in charge of the young children for most of the day, despite it being his birthday (and despite the fact that an eight-year-old is definitely not equipped to care for an infant).

Have you ever witnessed parents behaving badly at a theme park? Share your story with Inside the Magic in the comments!

Chloë is a theme park addict and self-proclaimed novelty hunter. She's obsessed with all things Star Wars, loves roller coasters (but hates Pixar Pal-A-Round), and lives for Disney's next Muppets project.