A man who reportedly jumped to his death from a parking structure at Disneyland on Saturday night, December 3rd, was the principal of a Huntington Beach elementary school, according to the OC Register.
What’s Happening:
- On Saturday Night, a 51 year old man, Christopher Christensen, was found dead after someone reported that a man had fallen from the Mickey & Friends parking structure at the Disneyland Resort around 9 p.m., according to Anaheim police and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
- Christensen was a principal at a nearby elementary school, Newland Elementary School, in nearby Huntington Beach. Previously, he had been an administrator and principal at the Courreges Elementary School, also in Huntington Beach.
- Police report that his death was likely a suicide and point to his last Facebook post, which explains in detail a situation that escalated between himself and his wife that saw Christensen spending the night in jail. He elaborates in the post that the situation grew out of hand, and the legal system is “extremely flawed'' against husbands and dads adding that because of the situation both of their lives have “unraveled,” with his job at the school now on “administrative leave” until the situation was resolved.
- The original incident was reported around 9 p.m. on Saturday night, December 3rd, and police were on scene and some services were disrupted at the park. A number of Disneyland guests reported via Twitter and other social media platforms that something had happened, causing the parking lot trams to be shut down at the park with guests left to walk back to their vehicles.
- Police report that Christensen likely didn’t visit anywhere else in the Disneyland Resort that day.
- The seven-story Mickey & Friends Parking Structure was the largest parking structure in the United States when it opened in 2000, and was one of the tallest buildings in Anaheim, California. Tragically, Christensen’s death is not the first time someone has died by suicide after leaping from the structure. Previous incidents took place in 2010, 2012, and in 2016.
- The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached by dialing 988 or (800) 273-8255. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for those experiencing a mental health crisis. The Lifeline currently serves TTY users either through their preferred relay service or by dialing 711, then 988.