A New York fugitive was vacationing in Disney World after nearly one year on the run. Then an off-duty officer spotted him. - NBC News

A New York City fugitive who had been connected the tally for astir a twelvemonth was vacationing astatine Disney World's Animal Kingdom Theme Park erstwhile helium was spotted by an serviceman who was investigating his case, according to tribunal documents.

Jeff Andre, a national serviceman with the United States Postal Inspection Service, was connected abrogation Oct. 20 astatine the Florida taxable parkland erstwhile helium happened to spot Quashon Burton.

Burton, 32, was charged connected Nov. 29, 2021, with allegedly stealing the identities of astatine slightest 4 radical to fraudulently get astir $150,000 successful Covid-19 alleviation indebtedness applications. He had been connected the tally since the USPIS tried to apprehension him past December successful his Brooklyn home.

Charges against Burton included conspiracy to bargain authorities funds, theft of nationalist money, spot oregon records and aggravated individuality theft.

Upon recognizing the fugitive he'd been investigating, Andre alerted Disney World security, who contacted the Orange County Sheriff's Office. Officers approached Burton aft helium near the Orlando country taxable park, wherever helium gave them a mendacious sanction and resisted arrest. He was arrested and transferred to national custody, according to officials.

A justice successful Florida initially ordered Burton's merchandise with conditions successful a detention proceeding connected Oct. 27, but the determination was overturned. In a letter, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York appealed the decision, calling Burton "an utmost hazard of flight," and citing the quality of his offenses, the grounds against him, arsenic good arsenic his characteristics.

"Perhaps the astir concerning origin present is the defendant’s persistent usage of mendacious identities and his demonstrated quality to evade instrumentality enforcement," wrote United States Attorney Damian Williams.

"During the strategy charged successful this case, the suspect utilized fraudulent email accounts, fake recognition documents, slope accounts and slope cards successful the names of different individuals, and stolen idiosyncratic recognition accusation (PII) successful a mode that created a analyzable web of identities that made his crimes hard to investigate."

Attorneys for Burton did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

Burton volition stay successful custody pending proceedings successful the Southern District of New York, according to an bid from United States District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan.