FLORIDA — A man is accused of entering a Florida theme park, jumping into an alligator enclosure and recording a video for social media, a dangerous stunt that authorities say led to his arrest.
Tampa Bay police say 20-year-old Jacob Pursifull jumped a fence to illegally enter Busch Gardens theme park on June 1. He and two others went to the park’s alligator enclosure, which is equipped with two layers of metal fencing, footage of the incident shows. .
Authorities say Pursifull entered the compound while one of the people with him recorded him. according to a release from the Tampa Police Department.
Onlookers can be seen in a video posted on social media showing Pursifull inside the enclosure, with some shouting at him to get out and that it was dangerous to get so close to the reptiles. Footage of the incident went viral online.
“Another wild Karen. Crikey!” Pursifull can be heard in a clip cited by CNN affiliate WBBH.
It is unclear whether Pursifull has legal representation.
Authorities say he posted a video of the incident on social media. No video of the incident currently appears on social media accounts that appear to belong to Pursifull.
Tampa police say social media leads helped investigators identify and arrest Pursifull.
He was arrested Monday on charges of theft of services, breaking and entering and burglary of an occupied structure, according to a police statement and the Hillsborough County Jail website.
Pursifull was released on $8,500 bond Tuesday, booking information showed.
It’s unclear if the other two people who police say snuck into the theme park with Pursifull will face charges. The Tampa Police Department did not immediately respond to an inquiry from CNN.
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