:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(943x570:945x572)/Elephants-Pittsburgh-Zoo-101825-a8ab7b87498e464b85d6c34fc8ccf1af.jpg "Influencer, 19, Nearly Became ‘Elephant Food’ After Allegedly Jumping into Animal Enclosure at a Zoo
By Nicholas Rice
10")
NEED TO KNOW
- Influencer Noah Thomas allegedly jumped into an elephant enclosure at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium on Sept. 21
- He currently faces multiple charges, including third-degree felonies and second-degree misdemeanors tied to the alleged incident
- Footage of the elephant encounter was shared — and remains — on Thomas’ social media
An influencer is facing legal trouble after he allegedly jumped into an elephant enclosure at a Pittsburgh zoo.
Noah Thomas went to the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium on Sept. 21, when he allegedly climbed inside the area holding the animal, video shared on his TikTok page shows.
In the seconds-long clip, Thomas, 19, can be seen hopping over a barrier and approaching a large divider, prompting the elephant to move closer to him.
After backing away from the giant mammal, the influencer then moves closer again, jumping back once more when the elephant attempts to grab him with its trunk. He is then seen hopping back over the barricade, as other zoo attendees watch.
Thomas captioned the TikTok post with various hashtags, and in a since-deleted Instagram post, he wrote in his caption that he was “almost elephant food” and called himself a “professional gate jumper,” per The Independent.
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Thomas is now facing various charges after the incident at the Pennsylvania-based zoo, including third-degree felonies for causing or risking catastrophe and criminal trespass and conspiracy, along with second-degree misdemeanors for recklessly endangering another person and cruelty to animals, plus theft of services, according to online records from the Pittsburgh Police Department (PPD).
The influencer has not entered police custody as of Saturday, Oct. 18. The PPD and Thomas did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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According to a criminal complaint obtained by WKBN, Thomas and a woman entered the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium without tickets through a temporary exit amid the zoo’s remodeling.
Several others at the zoo that day informed staff of the alleged incident, per the outlet, which cited the complaint. Zoo security then found Thomas and the unnamed woman in the aquarium area of the attraction, and the pair was escorted off the premises.
In a statement to PEOPLE, a spokesperson for the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium said, “This matter is now in the hands of the Pittsburgh Police and the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office.”
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