(WKBN) – An Austintown man who markets himself as a social media influencer is facing felony charges after police say he jumped a fence leading to an elephant enclosure at the Pittsburgh Zoo.
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Noah Thomas, 19, is charged with causing or risking catastrophe, criminal trespass and conspiracy, third-degree felony charges; recklessly endangering another person and cruelty to animals, second-degree misdemeanors; and theft of services.
According to a criminal complaint filed Thursday, Thomas and a woman visited the Pittsburgh Zoo, though Thomas did not have a ticket and entered through a temporary exit where the zoo is being remodeled.
The complaint states that Thomas and the woman then went to the elephant barn, where Thomas jumped a fence leading to the enclosure and then tried to squeeze between a fence where the elephant was being held. He then backed away but approached the fence again.
It was at that time that the elephant charged at Thomas, police reported. The complaint states that the elephant rams the gate and throws its trunk toward the gate in an attempt to strike Thomas as Thomas backs away and hops over the fence.
Video posted to an Instagram page under the name “justnoah.t” and titled “professional gate jumper. Almost elephant food,” shows the incident. The video was posted on Sept. 22 and was also cited in the criminal complaint as the account belonging to Thomas.
The same account shows several other videos of the man conducting interviews in the Youngstown area, as well as going into a Dollar General, where a car crashed into the building last month, before he was ordered to leave by a manager.
Police say that at the time the video at the Pittsburgh Zoo was recorded, there were about 25 or more adults and children in the elephant barn, and several of those people reported the incident to staff at the zoo.
Security found Thomas and the woman in the aquarium part of the zoo and escorted them out, providing investigators with the license plate of the vehicle that they left in, the report stated.
The complaint states that Thomas’ actions caused risk of injury or death to not only himself but also other zoo staff and patrons.
Court records do not list a court date for Thomas.
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