Woman who climbed into Bronx Zoo lion enclosure is arrested

The woman who climbed into the lion enclosure at the Bronx Zoo in late September has been arrested, police confirmed Thursday morning. She went viral after posting a video of the incident on Instagram, which showed her taunting the animals in the enclosure. 

NYPD officials said Myah Autry surrendered to police Wednesday night. She was charged with two counts of criminal trespass.

In the video of Autry’s reckless encounter with a lion, she can be seen waving and dancing as the large male lion stares at her from just a few feet away. 

A small moat separated Autry from the lion, but the disturbing video shows there is little space between them. She claimed she climbed into the fenced enclosure with good intentions, but the zoo said that the African lion could have killed her. 

“This action was a serious violation and unlawful trespass that could have resulted in serious injury or death,” the Bronx Zoo said in a statement at the time. “Barriers and rules are in place to keep both visitors, staff and animals safe. We have a zero-tolerance policy on trespass and violation of barriers.”

The arrest came less than a week after Autry appeared in a New Jersey courtroom to answer charges in a different incident. New Jersey police accused her of stealing from a store in Kearny. She pleaded not guilty to shoplifting last week, CBS New York reports.