A 56-year-old New Jersey man was arrested Tuesday, more than a month after he told a Walt Disney World hotel worker, "Al-Qaida sent me here to blow the place up," the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies said that, on July 21, a greeter at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa told Gregory Lazarchick, "Have a great day," to which he replied, "I don't want to have a great day."
After making the threat about al-Qaida, Lazarchick turned around while walking away and told the greeter, "You think I am joking? I'm not," an arrest report said.
Investigators said a Disney College Program intern who witnessed the incident told them Lazarchick told the greeter, "What if I don't want to have a great morning?"
The intern told Lazarchick, "Well, you are at Disney. You are almost obligated to have a great morning," the report said.
Deputies said the intern told them Lazarchick made the threat with a straight face and seemed serious.
Investigators said Lazarchick admitted to making the statement but said he had been joking. They said he was remorseful and apologized for his remarks.
Lazarchick's sister told investigators that her brother sustained "a head injury four years ago and had been resuscitated, brought back to life and has not been right since," the report said.
She told them her brother sometimes blurts out inappropriate comments, including about President Barack Obama, and that his wife died last year and his son has autism, deputies said.
Lazarchick was charged with false report of a bombing.
About the Author
