A 20-year-old man is currently facing criminal charges after being caught on film breaking into Busch Gardens theme park in Florida and entering an alligator exhibit, all in an apparent attempt to gain online notoriety. Jacob Pursifull was arrested on Monday and now faces charges of burglary, theft, and trespassing. The stunt took place on June 1 in Tampa, according to a statement released by city police on Tuesday.
A video uploaded to Pursifull’s TikTok account shows him scaling a wall to enter the park and then taking ice cream snacks without paying. He proceeds to climb two fences and enters the alligator enclosure. At one point, he imitates the late Australian zookeeper Steve Irwin, standing just feet away from the water habitat and exclaiming, “Crikey, look how big that bugger is.” Despite being asked to leave, Pursifull accuses onlookers of being “Karens” and proceeds to run and evade security as he exits the park.
Tampa police used the social media video to track down Pursifull. “Following investigative leads based on the linked social media posts, investigators were able to positively identify and locate Pursifull,” said the police. He was arrested on charges of burglary of an occupied structure, a second-degree felony, as well as misdemeanor charges of trespassing and first-degree petit theft.
HuffPost reached out to Pursifull for comment but has not yet received a response. Pursifull is an aspiring social media influencer known for creating online videos that involve crude pranks and attempting to provoke reactions from strangers. One video, posted on YouTube a day before the Busch Gardens incident, shows him harassing people in Tampa’s Ybor City neighborhood, including repeatedly asking a man for a sexual act. Footage from his TikTok account also shows him screaming “help” in a mall while passing by shoppers.
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