An Ohio influencer is wanted by authorities after allegedly jumping over a fence and entering an elephant enclosure at the Pittsburgh Zoo, which he recorded and posted online.
Noah Thomas, 19, of Austintown, filmed himself leaping over a protective barrier and walking inside the elephant exhibit on September 21, according to a criminal complaint obtained by WKBN.
While Thomas was not yet in police custody as of Friday afternoon, he is charged with third-degree felonies for causing or risking catastrophe, criminal trespass and conspiracy, along with second-degree misdemeanors for recklessly endangering another person and cruelty to animals, and also with theft of services, the complaint states.
Officials say Thomas and a woman entered the Pittsburgh Zoo without a ticket through a temporary exit. Thomas then jumped a fence into the elephant enclosure, tried to get closer to the elephant, backed away, and approached the fence again.
The video, later uploaded to Instagram – but since taken down – shows Thomas joking that he was “almost elephant food” and calling himself a “professional gate jumper.”
The influencer’s account also features videos of him conducting interviews in Youngstown, Ohio, and entering a Dollar General where a car had crashed the previous month, before being asked to leave by a manager.
Zoo officials said Thomas’ recent stunt endangered himself, visitors, and the animals. The zoo video, which is still on his TikTok profile, shows the elephant approaching him, lifting its trunk, and pushing against the fence as onlookers watched.
Several bystanders informed zoo staff of the alleged incident, per the complaint.
Zoo security reportedly found Thomas and the woman in the aquarium area and escorted them out, noting their vehicle’s license plate for investigators.
“This matter is now in the hands of the Pittsburgh Police and the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office,” a spokesperson for the Pittsburgh Zoo told The Independent on Friday.
