They took a bite out of this crime.
New Jersey police arrested the zoo visitor who brazenly hopped a fence and got terrifyingly close to a Siberian tiger that tried to chomp on the woman’s hand last week.
Zyair Dennis, 24, is facing a defiant trespassing charge along with violating two city ordinances after she climbed the fence at the Cohanzick Zoo and stuck her hand inside the tiger’s enclosure, Bridgeton police said Monday in a statement.
Dennis is being charged after footage showed her hop a fence to a tiger enclosure. Bridgeton Police DepartmentPolice last week had shared jaw-dropping footage of Dennis’ Aug. 18 antics.
After taking what looks like a curious sniff, the tiger lunges toward the woman and appears to try to bite her hand, which she quickly jerks back, before putting her hand out again for a moment.
She then walks slowly away and hops back over the wooden fence.
Police said they also had video that showed her allegedly pulling a similar stunt in a bear cage that day, which was adjacent to the tiger enclosure.
Dennis’ hand got dangerously close to the Siberian tiger. Bridgeton Police Department
The tiger appears to look out at Dennis as she hops the fence to leave the enclosure. Bridgeton Police DepartmentThey had urged anyone with information about the fence-hopper’s whereabouts to send an anonymous tip through its website.
Dennis narrowly avoided getting bitten by the tiger. Bridgeton Police DepartmentThe suspect will be scheduled to appear in Bridgeton Municipal Court at a date to be determined, according to police.
