Man who jumped to his death at Disneyland had recently been arrested for child endangerment

Posted by: | |Categories Featured, News
Share:

ANAHEIM, CA – The school administrator who leaped to his death at Disneyland in California had recently been arrested on charges of child endangerment and was in the middle of what seemingly was a nasty divorce. The man left behind a chilling Facebook post outlining his goodbyes to friends and families.

First responders received a call for a man who had jumped from a Disneyland parking garage on December 4th around 9 p.m. When police and medics arrived on the scene, they located the deceased remains of 51-year-old Christopher Christensen.

Christensen, in the middle of separating from his wife, had recently been charged with two misdemeanor charges of child endangerment around the 15th of November. Christensen was given a $10,000 bond, which he could post shortly after his arrest. The arrest is the reason Christensen listed in his last Facebook post for jumping to his death.

Christensen was in the education field and a school principal at Courreges Elementary. A career that was now in jeopardy thanks to the arrest, something he noted in the Facebook post:

“I am on the brink of losing my job, as I am out on administrative leave until my case is “resolved.” However, the legal system is extremely flawed (especially against men/fathers) and it’s sickening how quickly and easily an innocent man can be thrown in jail based on zero evidence or proof!”

Christensen alleged his arrest stemmed from an argument that he and his wife, Marlena Christensen, had in front of the children. He wrote that although their relationship had “been amazing,” the two got into a “heated argument.” He wrote:

“Tempers were flared and strong words were exchanged between us. However, never in this exchange did I hit, slap, or hurt Marlena in any manner. Nor did I ever touch the girls (I never have and never will). I love the girls like my own and they that, as does everyone else who truly knows me.”

https://fundourpolice.com/

Christensen wrote that Marlena called the police to respond to the home when her “anger” got the best of her. When the police arrived on the scene, they determined probable cause existed to take Christensen into custody for two counts of child endangerment.

Christensen wrote in the Facebook post that he decided to let everyone know his reasoning for jumping to his death because he hated “when people leave this Earth with so many unanswered questions.” In the post, he wrote:

“So, here I am…writing my final FB post to all of you. I need you all to know that a gentle, kind, loving and sincerely good man has been destroyed by one unfortunate night. It really is unfortunate! This is NOT me! This is NOT something that I ever thought would happen to me.”

He then went on to note how grateful he was to have worked in the education field for all of the “thousands of students” he could encourage over the years. He wrote:

“I have truly loved educating and leading thousands of students and families as a principal in FVSD for the past 21+ years. I have made so many wonderful connections with families over the years and those who know me closely know how much I cared for my students, staff, and families.”

While Christensen alluded he committed suicide over the recent arrest, his daughter from a previous marriage reports that he did so to get out of his marriage. His daughter, Brittany Christensen, provided an interview with the Daily Mail, reporting that Marlena was abusive and was attempting to tear apart their family. She said:

“[Marlena] has been very difficult in our family for about the last year, and we haven’t had any contact with her. I’d just now started regaining contact with [Christensen] over the last two weeks, and it’s been really great.

“He’d been trying to figure out how to leave her. In my opinion, it seems like this, in his mind, was his way out of the relationship.”

Brittany claims Christensen and Marlena’s relationship had been going sour in the weeks leading up to his arrest, which she blames on Marlena lying to the investigating officers. Brittany said:

“[Marlena] put [Christensen] in a really horrible position that night and painted a picture of him that is inaccurate of his character, and I think it got too much for him.”

While Brittany seemingly blames Marlena for her father’s suicide, she believes that she is also grieving his death. She said:

“Her temper always got the best of her and this time there’s no chance for an apology or turning back. I believe she is in true grief now, as we all are, and the best condolence she can provide me and the rest of our family is cooperation through the funeral.”

Want to make sure you never miss a story from Law Enforcement Today?  With so much “stuff” happening in the world on social media, it’s easy for things to get lost.  

Make sure you click “following” and then click “see first” so you don’t miss a thing!  (See image below.)  Thanks for being a part of the LET family!
Facebook Follow First
Share:
Submit a Correction
About The Author

I am a proud husband to a wife who works in education and the father to two wonderful children. My first focus is on my family and spending time with them, my second is on my career. I am a current law enforcement lieutenant and have been an officer for over twenty years. Chris Elliot is a pen name for safety reasons.

Related Posts