Over a week after she was filmed hopping a fence to taunt a tiger at a New Jersey zoo, a 24-year-old woman has been charged with trespassing.
In a statement released Monday, the Bridgeton Police Department said the woman entered a restricted area adjacent to the Bengal tiger’s enclosure at the Cohanzick Zoo. She reached her hand into the cage before quickly pulling it back when the animal reacted aggressively.
The woman, identified as Zyair J. Dennis, was charged with defiant trespassing on Friday.
Police said Dennis also entered the restricted area of a bear enclosure during her visit to the Cohanzick Zoo on Aug. 18. Authorities said “there was similar video depicting the same scenario” near the fence to the bear cage.
In footage from the incident involving the zoo’s tiger, the animal is seen pacing back and forth while Dennis stands on the other side of a wire fence. When the woman pushes her hand through the fence links, the tiger surges forward and onto the barrier at the provocation.
To get to the position in front of the tiger enclosure, Dennis passed a sign warning guests not to approach.
John Medica, director of recreation and public affairs for the City of Bridgeton, told CBS News he was “horrified” by the video.
“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,” he said.
Alongside the trespassing charge, Dennis also received two city ordinances pertaining to climbing fences within the zoo, police reported.
Authorities launched an investigation into the incident after witnesses to the woman’s trespassing shared the video with city officials, who then notified police. Police shared the video to Facebook in an attempt to identify the woman.
Dennis is expected to appear in Bridgeton municipal court, though a date has not yet been determined.