Wannabe social media star jumps into alligator pit in Busch Gardens

2023-06-07

Crikey clicks! 20-year-old man is charged after jumping into alligator pit at Tampa’s Busch Gardens all to boost his social media following

An aspiring social media influencer from Louisiana is in custody after he broke into the alligator pit at Tampa’s Busch Gardens in May
Jacob Pursifull, 20, was arrested a week later, authorities said that investigators were able to identify Pursifull because he posted the video online
In the video, the Louisiana-native adopts a faux-Australian accent in an attempt to imitate the late-Steve Irwin as he invades the alligator’s enclosure

A TikToker has been arrested after jumping into an alligator pit at Tampa’s Busch Gardens to boost his social media following.

Jacob Pursifull, 20, was charged with burglary, theft of services and trespass by the Tampa Bay Police Department Monday, nearly a week after the boneheaded stunt.

A video posted to TikTok seen by DailyMail.com shows Pursifull sneaking into the theme park by climbing over a wall, stealing some ice cream before making his way to the alligator enclosure.

Bizarrely just prior to entering the pit, Pursifull discussed his love and respect for animals.

The Louisiana-native hops over a fence and begins to do a faux-Australian accent in the spirit of the late Steve Irwin while repeatedly misidentifying the animals in question as crocodiles. There are multiple ‘Do Not Enter’ signs visible in the video.

Wannabe influencer Jacob Pursifull, 20, completed his boneheaded stunt on May 31 at Busch Gardens in Tampa

Ignoring the multiple Do Not Enter signs, Pusifull leaped over a fence and began attempting to impersonate Steve Irwin

During the video, Pursifull refers to multiple people who tell him to get out of the alligator pit as ‘Karens’

Pursifull is facing multiple charges in relation to the incident

The police said that it was thanks to Pursifull posting the video online that they were able to identify him and eventually take him into custody

The gators in the enclosure are up to 15 feet long and weigh around 1,000 pounds.

A statement from the Tampa police said that Pursifull was accompanied by two others, one of whom filmed the prank.

Tampa-area influencer Nick Reid, who witnessed the incident, told WFLA that Pursifull ’caused a huge commotion and got within 5 feet of an alligator.’

In an interview with Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Reid denied that he had anything to do with Pursifull’s actions.

‘He went wayyy crazy, if you know what I mean, and that’s when I had to step back and choose not to involve myself… I definitely think it’s crazy and possibly viral content but definitely don’t condone illegal behavior,’ Reid said.

The police said that it was thanks to Pursifull posting the video online that they were able to identify him and eventually take him into custody. He is being held at Orient Road Jail in Tampa on a $8,500 bail.

In the video, Pursifull can be seen pointing to numerous women who tell him to get out of the enclosure by saying: ‘Another wild Karen, crikey!’

Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Founder Vernon Yates told Fox Tampa Bay that Pursifull’s behavior was ‘stupid.’

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The gators in the enclosure are up to 15 feet long and weigh around 1,000 pounds

Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Founder Vernon Yates told Fox Tampa Bay that Pursifull’s behavior was ‘stupid’

‘There was no sign of animal respect there, because if he understood that if one of those animals would have grabbed him, they would’ve killed the animal,’ Yates said.

‘I think that’s a big part that most people don’t understand, that when these kinds of animals hurt somebody, they become dead animals,’ he added.

‘To the scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst, he’s an 11 on what he did wrong, and there’s no way you can say to love and respect animals, and you do something that stupid,’ Yates added.

On his TikTok account, Pursifull refers to himself as a ‘nano-influencer.’ He uploaded the video to his 1,000 followers on June 1. His videos follow him harassing members of the public and being removed from businesses.

In a video posted before the alligator clip, Pursifull is recorded walking in the Ybor City section of Tampa asking people for sex acts and trying to start fights

None of the animals were hurt during the incident.

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