Two Americans Arrested in Japan for Zoo Incident

Two U.S. citizens were detained in Japan after one entered a monkey enclosure at a zoo. This incident occurred after a baby macaque named Punch gained global attention earlier this year. Police reported the arrest on Monday.

According to a statement from Ichikawa Police Department, shared with CBS News’ partner TBS News, the suspects are identified as Reid Jahnai Dayson, a 24-year-old student, and Neal Jabahri Duan, a 27-year-old singer. Images show Dayson scaling a fence and entering the moat around the monkey exhibit at Ichikawa City Zoo, located outside Tokyo. Duan allegedly filmed the event.

Images on social media depicted an individual climbing the fence, wearing a costume with a smiley face head with sunglasses. This action led to the monkeys scattering. Zoo officials quickly apprehended the individuals, and they did not approach the animals, as confirmed by Ichikawa Police.

The two men face charges of forcible obstruction of business, which they deny. They initially attempted to lie about their identities and lacked formal identification, police reported.

On Monday, Ichikawa Zoo announced on its X account that access to view Punch’s enclosure would be limited. The zoo plans to install “intrusion prevention nets” and conduct permanent patrols. Discussions are underway about potentially banning video recording at the location.

The zoo stated that “no abnormalities have been observed among the animals” following the incident. Punch became famous when photos of him with an IKEA plush orangutan went viral after being rejected by his mother. Raised in an artificial environment since his birth in July, Punch started training to rejoin his group earlier this year, creating a wide fanbase under the hashtag #HangInTherePunch.

While tourism has surged in Japan recently, some locals are becoming frustrated by the unruly actions of some visitors. For instance, a Ukrainian YouTuber with over 6.5 million followers was arrested for trespassing in a house within the Fukushima nuclear exclusion zone last year. Similarly, in 2023, an American content creator named Johnny Somali was arrested for allegedly trespassing at a construction site.