Woman who hopped fence near tiger enclosure at New Jersey zoo charged with trespassing
BRIDGETON, N.J. (CBS) -- A woman caught on camera jumping over a fence and taunting a tiger at the Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton, New Jersey has been charged with trespassing.
Bridgeton police said 24-year-old Zyair Dennis was also cited for two city ordinances after she was seen sticking her hand through holes in a wire fence after climbing over a wooden barrier at the Cumberland County zoo on Aug. 20.
Video shared by the department showed the tiger pacing back and forth before putting both paws on the wire as the woman walked away and hopped back onto the walking path.
"I was horrified honestly," John Medica, director of Recreation and Public Affairs for the City of Bridgeton, said. "It was just very careless, a very careless action and I hope the individual recognizes how lucky they were to still have all of their limbs."
According to police, the restricted area that officials say Dennis entered was also adjacent to the zoo's bear enclosure. A statement from the department explained that Police Chief Michael Gaimari Sr. was also notified of a similar video "depicting the same scenario at the bear enclosure the same day involving the same person."
Dennis will appear in Bridgeton Municipal Court on the trespassing charge, though a date has not yet been set, police said.