San Diego man arrested for taking 2-year-old inside elephant exhibit at zoo

A 25-year-old man was arrested on Friday after police stated he and his 2-year-old daughter made it “well inside” the elephant exhibit at the San Diego Zoo.

NOT ENOUGH CRIMES AGAINST ASIAN AMERICANS REPORTED AS HATE CRIMES: SEN. DUCKWORTH

According to FOX 5 San Diego, zoo officers stated the company bypassed a number of obstacles and “purposely and illegally trespassed” right into a habitat that features the zoo’s Asian and African elephants. At least one of many elephants noticed the folks and charged at them, in accordance with the San Diego Police Department.

The incident was reported to authorities at about 4:20 p.m. “San Diego Zoo security promptly responded to the incident, but the guests had already exited the habitat,” zoo officers stated in a information launch.

According to police, the man “wanted to take a photo with the African bull elephant” and climbed via at least two obstacles to get into the enclosure. The elephant seen the intruders, “seemed a little upset” and began shifting towards them, a sergeant stated.

Witnesses instructed FOX 5 they may not imagine what they had been seeing.

“You hear this woman yelling, ‘Jose, stop. Jose, stop,’” witness Lori Ortale stated. “And he jumps the fence and then he goes through the elephant enclosure, and he’s got his little girl with him who, I don’t know, had to be under 2.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

San Diego County Jail data affirm the man’s identification as Jose Manuel Navarrete. 

“We told him to get out and he turned around and he saw it, thankfully, just in time,” one other witness, Jake Ortale, stated. “He runs, throws his baby through the gate and it’s seconds from hitting him. He jumps through the gate, falls on the ground and then it roared. … The baby starts crying and people were just mad at this guy.”

Navarrete, his daughter and the elephants had been all unhurt within the incident, police and zoo officers stated. Police added that Navarrete’s daughter went dwelling together with her mom following his arrest. Officers are investigating if medication or alcohol performed a job within the incident.

Navarrete, who’s dealing with baby cruelty prices and will face additional penalties for coming into the enclosure, is being held on $100,000 bail. He is about to be arraigned on March 30.

The Associated Press contributed to this report