Man charged after video shows him jumping into elephant enclosure at Pittsburgh Zoo

PITTSBURGH — Dramatic video shows the moment an Ohio man came face-to-face with an elephant at the Pittsburgh Zoo. 

Now, a self-proclaimed social media influencer is facing several felony charges. 

The incident happened back on Sept. 21, but charges were just filed. 

According to police, Noah Thomas jumped over a fence at the elephant enclosure at the Pittsburgh Zoo. 

Video posted to Thomas’ Instagram account shows it happening. Thomas jumps over the fence, then walks toward an opening before an elephant appears in frame. The two stand face to face before the elephant appears to swing its trunk at Thomas.

Thomas then backs away and jumps back over the fence. 

The video is captioned “Professional Gate Jumper - Almost Elephant Food.”

We did reach out to the Pittsburgh Zoo. A spokesperson told us the incident is in the hands of Pittsburgh Police and the District Attorney’s Office. 

However, court records show zoo-goers reported Thomas, and he and a female companion were removed by security. 

Those records also show that Thomas made the jump on his 19th birthday and that he did not buy a ticket to enter the zoo. 

Thomas is from near Youngstown, Ohio, and has not been arrested. A warrant has been issued for Thomas and his female companion.

At last check, the video had just 100 likes and fewer than 3,000 views. 

“I hope it was worth it to him,” one man told Channel 11.

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