NJ Man Foiled Nabbing $827 In Harry Potter Merchandise: Police

ORLANDO, FL — It looks like one South Jersey man needs to go back to Hogwarts, but instead may be headed to Azkaban.

Ryan Walsh, 31 of Mantua Township, stands accused of stealing $827.35 worth of Harry Potter merchandise from Universal Studios in Orlando, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in Orange County, Florida.

Walsh must not have been sure which House he should be a member of, when he took one Hufflepuff ornament, one Ravenclaw ornament, one Griffendor ornament, and a Slytherin ornament from a Christmas display back on Dec. 6, according to authorities.

He did his best impression of a wizard when he attempted to conceal the ornaments in his large Universal Studios ornament bag, according to court records. He then selected another set of ornaments from the display and put them in the same bag, authorities said.

Next came the phone cases. Authorities said Walsh attempted the same routine a death eaters phone case and one Ravenclaw phone case.

Walsh returned to the ornament display and took more ornaments, according to authorities. He then put multiple pairs of socks in his bag before returning to gather even more ornaments from the display case, according to authorities.

For good measure, he added a Harry Potter scrapbook and a throw blanket before attempting to leave the store without paying for any of it, according to authorities.

But any spells he might have cast on the security guards didn’t work, as they stopped him from leaving just as he was about to reach the Minion Mayhem ride, authorities said. Police said he then admitted to taking the items listed above, as well as other merchandise.

On Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty to a charge of third-degree grand theft. An arraignment hearing is scheduled for Jan. 18.

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