LOS ANGELES — An Anaheim man is facing federal charges that he falsely claimed to have placed pipe bombs inside Disneyland before Vice President JD Vance visited the park with his family last year.

Marco Antonio Aguayo, 22, is accused of posting threatening messages on Disneyland's official Instagram page after learning that Vance was visiting the park on July 12, according to a federal indictment.

Aguayo was charged Wednesday with one count of making threats against the president and successors to the presidency, according to the complaint. It was not immediately clear whether he was in custody.

Court Watch, a newsletter, was first to report the charges.

News of Vance's surprise visit to Disneyland quickly spread on social media and news outlets after Air Force 2 landed at John Wayne Airport after 5 p.m. on July 12. The vice president's visit prompted protests outside of Disneyland's Grand California Hotel & Spa, where Vance and his family were rumored to be staying.

The visit came as a surprise, as Disneyland had not been placed on the vice president's public schedule.

Aguayo posted three comments threatening the vice president at 6:14 p.m. that day under the username "@jesses_andamy," according to the federal complaint filed Wednesday by U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Marjorie Edens.

"Pipe bombs have been placed in preparation for J.D. Vance's arrival," the first comment read.

"It's time for us to rise up and you will be a witness to it," read the second.

"Good luck finding all of them on time there will be bloodshed tonight and we will bathe in the blood of corrupt politicians," read the third.

The Instagram account used to make the comments appeared to be unavailable Friday morning.

Aguayo could not be reached for comment. Court records did not note whether he has retained counsel.

Edens and an Anaheim Police sergeant visited Aguayo at his apartment the day Vance arrived to question him about the posts.

Aguayo initially denied knowing anything about the posts and suggested his social account may have been hacked, but later admitted to writing them according to the federal affidavit.

"He claimed that he intended it merely as a joke to provoke attention and laughter," according to the affidavit.

Aguayo allegedly told the agent he had intended to delete the posts but forgot.

Secret Service agents, who secured a search warrant, reviewed Aguayo's phone and a shared laptop and found four Instagram accounts.

The threat did not appear to affect Disneyland operations. A spokesperson for the theme park declined to comment.

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