Influencer, 19, Nearly Became ‘Elephant Food’ After Allegedly Jumping into Animal Enclosure at a Zoo

An influencer is facing ineligible problem aft he allegedly jumped into an elephant enclosure astatine a Pittsburgh zoo.

Noah Thomas went to nan Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium connected Sept. 21, erstwhile he allegedly climbed wrong nan area holding nan animal, video shared connected his TikTok page shows.

In nan seconds-long clip, Thomas, 19, tin beryllium seen hopping complete a obstruction and approaching a ample divider, prompting nan elephant to move person to him.

After backing distant from nan elephantine mammal, nan influencer past moves person again, jumping backmost erstwhile much erstwhile nan elephant attempts to drawback him pinch its trunk. He is past seen hopping backmost complete nan barricade, arsenic different zoo attendees watch.

Thomas captioned nan TikTok station pinch various hashtags, and successful a since-deleted Instagram post, he wrote successful his caption that he was "almost elephant food” and called himself a “professional gross jumper," per The Independent.

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Thomas is now facing various charges aft nan incident astatine nan Pennsylvania-based zoo, including third-degree felonies for causing aliases risking catastrophe and criminal trespass and conspiracy, on pinch second-degree misdemeanors for recklessly endangering different personification and cruelty to animals, positive theft of services, according to online records from nan Pittsburgh Police Department (PPD).

The influencer has not entered constabulary custody arsenic of Saturday, Oct. 18. The PPD and Thomas did not instantly respond to PEOPLE's petition for comment.

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According to a criminal title obtained by WKBN, Thomas and a female entered nan Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium without tickets done a impermanent exit amid nan zoo's remodeling.

Several others astatine nan zoo that time informed unit of nan alleged incident, per nan outlet, which cited nan complaint. Zoo information past recovered Thomas and nan unnamed female successful nan aquarium area of nan attraction, and nan brace was escorted disconnected nan premises.

In a connection to PEOPLE, a spokesperson for nan Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium said, “This matter is now successful nan hands of nan Pittsburgh Police and nan Allegheny County District Attorney's office."