BOSTON (WHDH) - A Worcester man was placed under arrest after he allegedly broke into the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston and tried gaining access to the tiger enclosure on Monday morning.
Matthew Abraham, 24, broke into the zoo by climbing over a gate around 9 a.m., according to state police.
“I didn’t break in, I was let in,” Abraham told 7NEWS at his home later in the day.
A preliminary investigation indicates that he scaled multiple fences in his attempt to get to the tigers, ignoring multiple posted signs advising the public to stay out of that area. When asked why he did it, troopers said Abraham responded that he had an interest in the animals.
“I thought that since there was a fence, I wasn’t encroaching on his territory and I thought I would be OK,” said Abraham. “I just wanted to get close to it.”
Security staff detained Abraham as he tried to get into the tiger enclosure, state police said. Boston EMS responded to the zoo to evaluate him and determined he was mentally competent, state police added.
“The tiger was in his cage,” Abraham said. “The tiger saw me and growled at me and that was all.”
Abraham was taken into custody on charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct. He was released on the standard $40 clerk’s fee and ordered to appear in Dorchester District Court at a later date.
When asked if he would do it again, Abraham said, “No. I mean what? Go see a tiger? I don’t know? Maybe.”
No additional information was immediately released.
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